Finding the Hook: Computer Science Education in Elementary Contexts
AbstractThe purpose of this study was to investigate how elementary teachers with little knowledge of computer science (CS) and project-based learning (PBL) experienced integrating CS through PBL as a part of a standards-based elementary curriculum in Grades 3–5. The researchers used qualitative constant comparison methods on field notes and reflections to describe the teachers' participation in professional development to create CS-infused projects to be implemented with their students. Categories that emerged included standards integration, student autonomy, and challenges of infrastructure and time. The data are from the first 6 months of a 3-year, National Science Foundation-funded project. (Keywords: computer science, project-based learning, integration, elementary curriculum)
Abstract The results of the Tennessee study and the recent Brookings consensus statement present a moment for the field to reflect collectively on the preschool evidence base writ large and on what should come next. In this brief commentary, I review the broader preschool literature and offer seven specific takeaways regarding what we know about public preschool programs and about how to improve them. I argue that making progress requires a pivot in the field to specifically how to create new high-quality programs and improve existing ones. I offer specific directions for policy, practice, and research aimed at guiding this pivot.