Date of Award:

8-2021

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences

Committee Chair(s)

Mimi Recker

Committee

Mimi Recker

Committee

Jody Clarke-Midura

Committee

Hillary Swanson

Abstract

Elementary school teachers are being increasingly asked to teach computer science—something that most teacher certification programs do not prepare them for. In an attempt to study how elementary teachers learn to teach computer science, I analyzed the ways that teachers behaved during a professional development accompanying the implementation of a fifth-grade computer science curriculum. My findings suggest that teachers benefit from professional development that encourages collaboration and active participation in teachers through discussion and modeling. Furthermore, my findings suggest that teachers benefit from using curriculum that deliberately connects new concepts to content that they are already familiar and comfortable with—a model known as expansive framing. By encouraging active teacher participation in professional development and by using curriculum that relates to teachers’ existing content knowledge, we may be able to help elementary teachers prepare to teach computer science with more confidence and accuracy.

Checksum

09f987e0a9b962ceb54a77b31274274d

Download

Share

COinS

Copyright for this work is retained by the student. If you have any questions regarding the inclusion of this work in the Digital Commons, please email us at .