In fall 2022, Shelby Morge collaborated with Sridhar Narayan and Chris Gordon ’18 Ed.D. on a mathematics and computer science workshop at the Southeast Regional Middle Grades Leadership PLC. During the workshop, Onslow County leaders indicated an interest in working together to focus on computer science. Over the summer, the faculty members prepared and delivered a 3-day workshop for Onslow County K- 8 teachers focused on integrating computer science and mathematics in their classrooms. Dr. Morge is a professor of mathematics education in the middle grades program at the Watson College. Dr. Narayan is a professor of computer science at UNCW, and Dr. Gordon is an assistant professor of education at Lenoir-Rhyne University, where he teaches STEM education classes for elementary and secondary preservice teachers.
During the summer workshop, teacher participants learned about the North Carolina Computer Science standards and reflected on what they look like in the classroom. North Carolina introduced K-12 Computer Science Standards in 2009 to expand computer science education opportunities for students in grades K-12. The standards are designed to help students gain knowledge and skills needed to succeed in our technology-driven world.
Participants also engaged in computational thinking through cross-curricular, computer-based, and non-computer-based (unplugged) classroom tested activities, with an emphasis on using them to teach mathematics. In one activity, teachers sorted themselves into alphabetical order to learn about algorithms, loops and decision making.
“Integration allows teachers to simultaneously address math and computer science standards, making the new CS standards feel less cumbersome,” Morge said. “It also engages students in making connections and provides opportunities for all students to have access to computer science topics, not just those who participate in after-school clubs or electives.”
This fall, Morge, Narayan and Gordon will continue to provide support as teachers work to apply what they learned in their classrooms. The support includes three follow-up sessions to support teachers in designing computer-based activities that are tied to their content standards that they can implement during Computer Science Education Week, a national event held annually during the first week of December to inspire K-12 students to learn about computer science.
Schools nationwide participate in Computer Science Education Week. The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), the world's largest educational and scientific computing society, launched CSEdWeek in 2009. The Computer Science Teachers Association, in collaboration with many organizations, has supported community-led CSEdWeek initiatives since 2020. For more information visit the CSEdWeek website.
This article has the following tags: Educators Engagement Watson College of Education