Retraining teachers to teach high school computer science
Harriet G. Taylor · Fall joint computer conference · 1987
During the last few years, computers have arrived in the high school. Most of this nation's high schools are now offering courses on some aspect of computer science. There is still a great degree of difference in what is taught in the high school and the selection and preparation of teachers to conduct these courses.The Education Board of the ACM has addressed the issue of teacher training in computer science in various ways over the past several years. Specifically, recommendations for standard courses and guidelines for certifying high school teachers were developed. A major outcome of the previous work was the realization that most of the high school computer science teachers were and would continue to be in-service rather than pre-service teachers. As a result, retraining of existing teachers rather than initial training of pre-service teachers became the real issue.In 1985, the Retraining Task Force was formed to study the issue of retraining teachers and make recommendations about the nature of such retraining. The Task Force was sponsored jointly by the Education Board of the ACM and the IEEE. The Task Force is now concluding its two years of study and is preparing a position paper on the results of the study.The members of the Task Force will discuss the study itself, the findings, and implications and recommendations for the future. Included will be results of several national surveys conducted to gather background information, identification of problem areas encountered, and a summary of the group's investigation and conclusions about retraining. The session will conclude with a discussion with the audience about retraining and goals for the future.