Building a Pathway for CS Principles Teachers: A Two-course Sequence for Secondary Education Mathematics Pre-service Teachers

阿拉巴马大学塔斯卡卢萨分校提议开发一种培养职前教师的新模式，以实现CSforAll将计算机科学(CS)教育扩展到数万所学校的目标。该项目将扩大现有的研究-实践者伙伴关系(RPP)，以支持中学数学预科(SEMA)学生的课程作业，使他们为在未来的学校教授AP计算机科学原理(CSP)做好准备。目前许多针对CS教育的专业发展(PD)努力集中在现有的在职教师身上，但未来的增长还需要考虑为职前教育专业的学生做好准备，他们将通过接触CSP主题来发展内容和教学CS知识。拟议的工作推进了课程序列和相关活动，为没有深厚的CS内容知识的职前教育工作者提供了一条途径。这一顺序包括一门目前所有SEMA学生都在学习的CSP课程，以及一门新的第二门课程，该课程是为那些除了数学之外还有兴趣教授CSP的学生开设的。第二门课程将向学生介绍与CS教育中的公平相关的主题，概述各种K-12 CS标准(包括新开发的阿拉巴马州K-12 CS标准)，探索与数学和计算思维实践和CS内容知识的联系，考虑大学理事会批准的高级预修课程(AP)CSP课程的各种细微差别，并加深对AP CSP大理念和学习目标的理解。学生还将参加教学实习，并在RPP成员所在的当地高中担任实习教师。他们还将有机会参加大学理事会CSP AP暑期学院和一个以CS教育为重点的会议。课程将进行外部评估。此外，RPP中的研究人员和实践者将开发和探索一组与SEMA学生在准备成为CSP教师时的兴趣和自我效能相关的研究问题。这些新教师将成为扩大高中计算机课程参与度的催化剂，到目前为止，高中还没有开设计算机科学课程。

The University of Alabama Tuscaloosa proposes to develop a new model for preparing preservice teachers to realize the CSforAll goal of scaling computer science (CS) education to tens of thousands of schools. The project will expand an existing research-practitioner partnership (RPP) to support preservice Secondary Mathematics (SEMA) students with coursework that will prepare them to offer AP Computer Science Principles (CSP) at their future school. Many current Professional Development (PD) efforts for CS education focus on existing in-service teachers, but the future growth will also need to consider the preparation of preservice Education majors who will develop content and pedagogical CS knowledge through exposure to CSP topics. The proposed work advances a course sequence and associated activities that form a pathway for preservice educators who do not have deep pre-existing CS content knowledge. The sequence includes an existing CSP course currently taken by all SEMA students, and a new, second course for those students with an interest in teaching CSP in addition to mathematics. This second course will introduce students to topics related to equity in CS education, overview various K-12 CS standards (including the newly developed Alabama K-12 CS standards), explore connections to mathematics with computational thinking practices and CS content knowledge, consider various nuances of Advanced Placement (AP) CSP curricula endorsed by the College Board, and establish a deeper understanding of the AP CSP Big Ideas and Learning Objectives. Students will also participate in a teaching practicum and serve as student teachers at the local high schools of RPP members. They will also have the opportunity to attend a College Board CSP AP Summer Institute and a conference focused on CS education. The courses will be externally evaluated. In addition, the researchers and practitioners within the RPP will develop and explore a set of research questions related to the interest and self-efficacy of SEMA students as they prepare to become CSP teachers. These new teachers will be the catalyst for broadening the participation of computing at high schools that heretofore have not established a CS course.