Teaching educators the ABCs of computer science

www.acsa.org

Middle school teachers collaborate around problem solving and decision making.

August 5, 2024

Over 70 educators and administrators from across Northern California attended a computer science training June 10-14 at the University Preparatory School in Redding.

Over half the educators who attended were elementary teachers poised to inspire younger generations to learn more about coding, problem-solving and computational thinking. The other participants were middle school teachers and school administrators looking to expand their computer science skills.

“The workshop was challenging, packed with great information and well-run,” said Tony Chinchay, a middle school teacher from Butte County. “I enjoyed every aspect of it thoroughly, and I’m looking forward to the follow-up Zoom meetings throughout the year!”

In order to maximize access to high-quality professional learning and mitigate the barrier of lengthy travel, some of the Redding participants joined in virtually. The middle school participants, while physically present at University Preparatory School building along with a facilitator, were digitally linked to peers in Fresno and Contra Costa counties via Zoom.

“We were so happy with the outcome from the trainings — both having participants in person and online,” said Karen Mix, co-director of CS4NorCal. “It’s amazing to be able to work with small groups of educators to make computer science more accessible to all areas of our state, from cities and suburbia to the rural country schools.”

“When teachers teach computer science, they see a type of joy and satisfaction that students don’t show in any other classroom ... that’s because of the creativity and empowerment.”

— Hadi Partovi, CEO of Code.org

Seasons of CS, a statewide initiative funded by the Educator Workforce Investment Grant, hosted the event with support from the federally funded CS4NorCal project. Since 2021, CS4NorCal and Seasons of CS have provided trainings on integrating CS into K-12 instruction to over 500 educators, with a specific focus on 16 of California’s rural, far north counties. California adopted CS standards in 2018; however, a new proposal currently working its way through the state Legislature (AB 2097) would require all high schools throughout California to offer CS courses as early as the 2026-27 school year.

In preparation for this possible state requirement, there is even more focus on computer science than ever before. Free training about CS education continued in July during the CS Professional Development Week in Anaheim, where close to 100 educators from Northern California were expected to join their colleagues in Orange County for workshops, trainings and networking.

“When teachers teach computer science, they see a type of joy and satisfaction that students don’t show in any other classroom … that’s because of the creativity and empowerment,” said Hadi Partovi, CEO of Code.org, a nonprofit organization and educational website for K-12. “Every school should teach computer science!”

Administrators and teachers can find more computer science educational workshops starting in the fall of 2024 at www.seasonsofcs.org.

Elementary teachers learn to build an illuminating insect with a micro:bit.

Teacher participants gathered in Redding for workshops on bringing computer science to all students.