Views From the Classroom: New Teachers of Computational Thinking Describe Their Experiences

• In Event: 77.037 - Dilemmas and Promising Practices for STEM Teaching

Abstract

With computational thinking education increasingly being viewed as a necessity in K-12, and shortages of STEM teachers looming, a more complete understanding of the experiences of new teachers of computer science becomes essential. This study uses semi-structured interviews to investigate how new teachers of computational thinking at the middle school level view the purposes and outcomes of their work. Interviews with a purposeful sample of teachers who learned new software for promoting computational thinking through game and simulation design, and who continued their implementation beyond the requirements of their research participation, provide insights into how teachers sustain implementation of computational thinking curricula on a broader scale.

Authors

• Carol Tate, SRI International

• Julie Remold, SRI International