Residency Models Efforts and School Leaders Critically Bridging the Divide Between CS and AI (Poster 4)

• In Event: Formative Research and Pedagogical Approaches to Integrate Computational Thinking and Computer Science in a Residency

Abstract

The teacher education residency program allowed sustainability efforts to offer an ecosystem of support for teachers who wanted to teach computer science and integrate computational thinking in a critical, humanizing frame. The computer science pathway was developed through a critical lens in a teacher education residency pathway. This pathway allowed for structures to support the continued credentialing of computer science teachers in a program that centers on humanizing pedagogical approaches to computational thinking and computer science.

The rapid emergence of AI (Artificial Intelligence), such as Chat GPT, presents both possibilities and challenges in the educational landscape. To meet this need, educational leaders must better understand these tools and support teachers and k-12 youth as critical consumers and developers of these technologies. In the indicated state, only 5% of HS students were enrolled in a Computer Science course in 2019, the majority of which were male. To meet the urgent need for teachers who can teach computer science in a large multi-ethnic state, we present the structures and processes for inter-institutional collaboration between school district leaders and higher education spaces in developing a pathway to prepare more teachers to teach computer science. We built on our Computational Thinking for Equity Model and Computer Science principles to connect with machine learning and AI. The computer science and CT working the residency allowed this innovation for growth and sustainability. Further, we aim to share a general understanding of AI and its impact on education, emphasizing how school and district leaders might address these needs. This effort speaks to how a teacher residency program can create structures to further the critical computer science work with leaders and in-service teachers.

Through this endeavor, we will 1) develop an understanding of AI in school settings and how a large state defines computer science in education, 2) how leaders can support teachers in building their capacity to teach Computer Science critically, 3) share how Computer Science is necessary to prepare youth to engage in the world for healing and restoration critically.

Author

• Justin Betzelberger, University of California - Los Angeles