Analyzing the Impact of Computer Science Workshops on Middle School Teachers

Abstract

Computational thinking and computer science are instrumental in learning how to creatively solve problems and develop thought out solutions. Over the years, workshops have been held to provide high school teachers the ability to teach high school students computer science, however not much has been done for middle school teachers. Funded by Google, the three day CS Educator Professional Development Workshop for Middle School Teachers at Kean University brought together teachers to learn about key computer science concepts and work with tools that were previously not known to them, such as Scratch, the Makey Makey tool kit, and the Cue robot. The results of this research find that middle school teachers need access to curriculum materials and digital tools in order to successfully teach computer science to their students. Furthermore, more work should be done to get middle school teachers access to materials and lesson plans aimed at teaching middle school students.