5475 Views (as of 05/2023)
  1. Amy Hutchison
  2. Associate Professor
  3. Presenter’s NSFRESOURCECENTERS
  4. George Mason University, Old Dominion University, CodeVA
  1. Andrew Vardas-Doane
  2. Research Assistant
  3. Presenter’s NSFRESOURCECENTERS
  4. George Mason University

Preparing K-5 Teachers to Integrate the Computer Science Standards of Learnin...

NSF Awards: 1837380

2019 (see original presentation & discussion)

Grades K-6

This video will describe the need to prepare elementary grade teachers to integrate computer science into math, science and literacy, to make computer science available and accessible to all students, particularly students with disabilities. We will describe our Research Practitioner Partnership in which we are collaboratively developing and refining an effective model of professional development for elementary grade teachers.  We will describe our exploration of the challenges faced by teachers in inclusive classrooms when integrating CS into instruction for students with diverse needs, including those with high-incidence disabilities. We will also address how we are identifying effective support methods and adaptations for teaching CS to K-5 students with high- incidence disabilities by incorporating the principles of Universal Design for Learning. We describe how we ultimately hope to identify a developmentally appropriate progression for integrating computer science into elementary grade math, science, and literacy instruction, particularly for students with disabilities. Finally, we will discuss the potential impact of our project and how we will measure progress toward our intended outcomes.

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Discussion from the 2019 STEM for All Video Showcase (20 posts)
  • Icon for: Andrew Vardas-Doane

    Andrew Vardas-Doane

    Co-Presenter
    Research Assistant
    May 12, 2019 | 08:34 p.m.

    Hello!

    We are very excited to present the work for our NSF grant! We are developing professional development for teachers integrating computer science into Kindergarten through fifth-grade spaces, with an emphasis on students with high incidence disabilities. We are happy to develop a partnership between George Mason University, Old Dominion University, Code VA, and a Virginia school district.  

    How do you think partnerships between Universities and school districts help to further research and practice?

    How do you think supporting teachers with computer science for those with disabilities will better the CS For All movement?

    We will be here responding and asking questions for anyone interested in the discussion!

    Amy and Andrew

  • Icon for: Kate Meredith

    Kate Meredith

    Informal Educator
    May 13, 2019 | 10:01 p.m.

    You mention that your work target high incidence disabilities and we heard from one blind student regarding the importance of computing science to her.  Can you give more details about which disabilities you targeted and what process you use for designing to meet their needs?  Thanks - very enjoyable video to watch.

     
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    Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available

    Allie Beckman
  • Icon for: Andrew Vardas-Doane

    Andrew Vardas-Doane

    Co-Presenter
    Research Assistant
    May 13, 2019 | 10:12 p.m.

    Yes of course Kate. We are focusing on students with ADHD, Autism, and those with learning disabilities. I will confer with Amy Hutchison, the principal investigator of the grant, but I think those are our focus as of now. I apologize hearing from Veronica was a little confusing as to our purpose. We are using Universal Design for learning principals as a means to help teachers create spaces for students with all learning needs. Thank you for your questions and comments!

     
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    Kate Meredith
  • Icon for: Jennifer Stevens

    Jennifer Stevens

    President & CEO
    May 13, 2019 | 09:52 a.m.

    Enjoyed your video, Amy and Andrew! It is exciting to see the work that is happening in our state, and we are proud to be partners of CodeVA. Take a look at our video https://videohall.com/pl/1497 to learn about the virtual networked improvement community we are facilitating in Virginia. We are planning to use this model to support CS coaches who are assisting core academic teachers in integrating the CS standards at the middle school level in rural schools. 

    P.S. Just had a son graduate from ODU last week, and I have another son graduating from GMU this week!

  • Icon for: Amy Hutchison

    Amy Hutchison

    Lead Presenter
    Associate Professor
    May 13, 2019 | 12:41 p.m.

    Hi Jennifer,

    It's great to hear from you. I didn't realize that you are also partners with CodeVA. What is your connection with them?  

  • Icon for: Jennifer Stevens

    Jennifer Stevens

    President & CEO
    May 14, 2019 | 05:54 a.m.

    Our connection with Code VA actually stems from working directly with Rebecca Dovi when she was still teaching computer science in Hanover County. Our organization was the administrator of the National Math and Science Initiative in Virginia which provided extensive training and support to schools all over the state to increase student participation and success in Advanced Placement math, science, and English (MSE) courses.  We had a full-time staff who traveled around to work with AP MSE teachers in our partner schools, but we found early on that we needed someone who could help with computer science.  That's where Rebecca came in - we ended up contracting with her to provide support to the other CS teachers around the state, and she was phenomenal, of course.  Once she and Chris founded Code VA, we stayed in touch and have looked for ways to partner over the years.  Our organization's mission is much broader now than it was when we began in 2007 with the AP initiative - we now exist to support K12 schools in preparing students for college and careers.  The most recent project involving us and Code VA is what I mentioned in my initial comment - we have partnered with Code VA and JMU to develop a research practitioner partnership focused on the integration of the newly-mandated CS standards into the core curriculum at the middle school level and specifically in rural communities where CS resources are so limited. 

    I would love to chat with you at some point soon to learn more about your work and explore ways we might partner in the future!

    Jennifer

  • Icon for: Gerad OShea

    Gerad OShea

    Facilitator
    Research Director
    May 13, 2019 | 04:00 p.m.

    Thanks for sharing your work!

    I think it's critical to build these training and supports collaboratively with teachers to understand the nuances of the challenges teachers face while integrating their on-the-ground expertise working in diverse settings.

    Can you share a bit about how you're collecting feedback from teachers in Norfolk to identify best practices and help tailor the PD resources you're developing to their needs?

    Best,

    Gerad

  • Icon for: Amy Hutchison

    Amy Hutchison

    Lead Presenter
    Associate Professor
    May 14, 2019 | 10:55 a.m.

    Hi Gerard. Yes, I'm happy to share more. We started our work with an existing research-based model of technology-related professional development (Hutchison & Woodward, 2018). From there we engaged teachers and district leaders in focus groups and interviews to get their feedback on our proposed model. We made iterative changes based on their feedback and continued conducting focus groups until we reached consensus.  Now we have finalized the first model of professional development and will try it out over the course of the upcoming academic year, starting with a Summer Institute. We have developed or adopted several instruments that we will use to measure teachers' understanding and determine if and how they change their changing practice throughout the year. 

  • Icon for: Jim Hammerman

    Jim Hammerman

    Researcher
    May 13, 2019 | 09:54 p.m.

    You're definitely taking on some important challenges. As your video suggests, elementary grades teachers often don't feel confident themselves in computing, and I wonder how you're supporting them to explore and develop a sense of how they can work with their students to engage with computational thinking.

    At the same time, I wonder how you're addressing the several different high-incidence disabilities you describe on your NSF project page (learning disabilities, emotional or behavioral disorders, mild intellectual disability, high functioning autism, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) as I imagine they require different modifications and supports, just as we've had to develop several different approaches for students with visual impairments on the IDATA project.

    I'd love to hear more.

  • Icon for: Amy Hutchison

    Amy Hutchison

    Lead Presenter
    Associate Professor
    May 14, 2019 | 10:59 a.m.

    Hi Jim,

    We are working only in inclusive classrooms, so our approach is to prepare and empower teachers to do this kind of decision-making by developing their knowledge of Universal Design for Learning and introducing them to a planning approach called the Technology Integration Planning Cycle. By using these tools, teachers are able to make decisions about how to provide multiple means of engagement, expression, and representation to meet a variety of learning needs. Thanks for the question!

  • Icon for: Todd Lash

    Todd Lash

    Graduate Research Assistant
    May 15, 2019 | 09:33 a.m.

    Hi Amy,

    I'd love to see any examples of how you are using UDL or any UDL tools you may have created.  Thanks so much for taking this work on!

  • Icon for: Amy Hutchison

    Amy Hutchison

    Lead Presenter
    Associate Professor
    May 15, 2019 | 03:27 p.m.

    Hi Todd,

    We are still in the process of creating UDL tools and assessments since we are in the first year of our project. At present, we have developed a draft of an assessment of UDL knowledge and perceptions that we will pilot in the upcoming year. We are also working on lesson-planning tools for that bring together UDL and Computer Science but have not yet completed those. We will definitely share our resources after they are developed.

     

  • Icon for: Feng Liu

    Feng Liu

    Facilitator
    Researcher
    May 14, 2019 | 12:10 a.m.

    Thanks for sharing this great work! I think by supporting teachers of students with disabilities using computer science (CS) can definitely increase the access of CS for all students. Considering this project is targeting a special group of students, measuring the impact could be challenging (e.g., difficult to find a comparison group, have small sample size). Could you share more on the strategies you used to conquer these challenges during the the impact evaluation?

  • Icon for: Amy Hutchison

    Amy Hutchison

    Lead Presenter
    Associate Professor
    May 14, 2019 | 11:02 a.m.

    Hi Feng,

    Our focus in this particular study is actually on the teachers rather than the students. We are examining whether our model of professional development increases teachers knowledge of computer science and Universal Design for Learning, and their abilities to plan lessons that integrate computer science into content areas. We are also studying how their teaching practices change over time. Thanks for the question!

     
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    Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available

    Todd Lash
  • Icon for: Feng Liu

    Feng Liu

    Facilitator
    Researcher
    May 14, 2019 | 05:26 p.m.

    Thanks for the explanation, Amy!

  • Icon for: Richard Ladner

    Richard Ladner

    Higher Ed Faculty
    May 14, 2019 | 01:55 p.m.

    Hi Amy and co-presenters. 

    It is great that you are working on incorporating UDL in your professional development for CS teachers.  This is very much needed.  We should talk more because your project is related to our AccessCSforAll project that we highlighted in the last two STEM Video Showcases.  

    Richard

     
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    Discussion is closed. Upvoting is no longer available

    Todd Lash
  • Icon for: Amy Hutchison

    Amy Hutchison

    Lead Presenter
    Associate Professor
    May 14, 2019 | 03:43 p.m.

    Thanks for making a connection. I am familiar with your site and have accessed it many times, so it's great to virtually meet you. I love how your site suggests accommodations by activity type and disability type. I would love to learn more from you about how you have supported students in the elementary grades!

  • Icon for: Andrew Vardas-Doane

    Andrew Vardas-Doane

    Co-Presenter
    Research Assistant
    May 14, 2019 | 02:27 p.m.

    Richard, 

    I found your video and purpose bore many similarities to ours in the hope all students can access what is being taught. I appreciated Andrew Ko's integration of accessibility minded teaching and learning into the HTML course. Thanks for reaching out!

    Andrew

     

  • Icon for: Nancy McGowan

    Nancy McGowan

    Facilitator
    Instructional Math Coach
    May 15, 2019 | 09:02 p.m.

    It looks like you have a great start! I look forward to reading more about lesson-planning tools that incorporate UDL and Computer Science.  Thank you for your work. 

  • Icon for: Andrew Vardas-Doane

    Andrew Vardas-Doane

    Co-Presenter
    Research Assistant
    May 16, 2019 | 11:43 a.m.

    Thank you! We look forward to sharing the understandings we gain through this project!

  • Further posting is closed as the event has ended.