A Multidisciplinary Approach to Incorporating Computational Thinking in STEM Courses for Preservice Teachers
Jennifer E. Slate, Rachel F. Adler, Joseph Hibdon, Scott Mayle, Hanna Kim, Sudha Srinivas · 2019
Despite being part of the science and engineering practices defined by Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) guidelines, computational thinking is rarely addressed in preservice teacher training. Motivated by this gap, we modified our teacher education program to embed computational thinking throughout the curriculum for preservice elementary and middle school teachers. We integrated computational thinking into five courses, including (1) an introductory computer science course added to the program, (2) redesigned content courses in biology, physics, and geometry with newly created computational thinking modules, and (3) a modified science teaching methods course in which preservice teachers learn to integrate computational thinking into their future classrooms. This three-tiered approach, which presents computational thinking within the context of discipline-specific content and pedagogical technique, was achieved by close collaboration among education, computer science, math, and science faculty. In pre- and post-surveys, preservice teachers reported significant gains in their perceived knowledge and ability in computational thinking. Interest and confidence in incorporating computing and computational thinking into future teaching was high at both the beginning and end of the study. These preservice teachers are now better positioned to foster computational thinking skills and practices among children in their future classrooms.