Teaching the teachers

Computer science in Iowa schools is growing rapidly. So rapidly that educators in NewBoCo’s K-12 program say 2022 has been the biggest year for their program yet.

From Tiny Techies workshops and virtual training to a week-long Computer Science Professional Development program at Iowa State University in Ames, NewBoCo staff expect to have worked with almost 600 educators in the state of Iowa this year.

“We just keep on growing,” said Samantha Dalby, NewBoCo’s K-12 education director.

“And we’re very proud of the work we’ve done because not only are we teaching the teachers, we’re trying to help them feel excited about this.”

A new state law passed in 2020 required all Iowa high schools to offer computer science instruction by July of this year. All grade schools and middle schools must follow suit by July of 2023.

The role of computers continues to grow in the business community, meaning that understanding them is vital for Iowa’s future workforce.

Yet even if students are not interested in becoming software developers, they still benefit from the problem-solving skills that are practiced in computer science classes, Dahlby said.

NewBoCo is the designated provider of Code.org professional learning programs in Iowa, and the team’s primary goal is to bring computer science into as many classrooms as possible.

Dahlby noted many of the educators NewBoCo works with do not have a computer science background.

“We've worked with math and science teachers, but also English teachers, French teachers, Spanish teachers, P.E. teachers, and more,” she said.

“They just have to be willing to learn, engage with the program and ask questions.”

The curriculum is set up to support both teachers and students with no previous experience. Also, NewBoCo’s training style gathers teachers together in a group so they are working with colleagues who are in the exact same situation.

“You gain a lot for being in the classroom with other people,” said Alison Mohr, NewBoCo’s assistant K-12 education director.

“You are able to get ideas from other teachers, hear their questions and get immediate feedback from the instructors. And we’re able to build a community because all these workshops have follow-up sessions during the school year. Teachers are able to continue to go back to those teachers and ask questions.”

Having a state requirement for school districts to add computer science curriculum means some teachers feel forced to attend training sessions.

Mohr said that while most teachers were enthusiastic in the early days, she started seeing more teachers who let her know they were “volun-told” by administrators in their district to attend.

However, NewBoCo instructors make an effort to take those concerns into account, and turn nervous or reluctant teachers’ attitudes around.

“We let them know that we understand that they may not be comfortable, but that they are still welcome and that we are there to support them,” Mohr said.

“... We want teachers to be part of a community, where we're here for you when you're frustrated, or you don't know what's going on or you need support.”

That effort to reach reluctant teachers paid off this summer more than once.

“I had more than one teacher tell me, ‘I was just here because my administrator told me to, but this wound up being really valuable,'” Mohr said.

One of the largest gatherings of Iowa teachers for computer science instruction was at CSPD Week in Ames. NewBoCo and other instructors through Iowa Area Education Agencies worked with more than 100 teachers for five days of workshops and classroom sessions.

“We go through a lot of the lessons with a student lens, which helps the teachers understand where their students might get tripped up,” Dahlby said.

“The teachers get to think about the instructional strategies for how they would actually teach it.”

NewBoCo also worked with more than 200 teachers throughout the summer in Tiny Techies workshops. Tiny Techies is designed to help students build computational thinking and problem-solving skills, ideally to prepare them for jobs that don’t yet exist.

NewBoCo’s Tiny Techies professional development supports Pre-K through second-grade teachers with training on foundational computer science concepts and how they relate to young students.

The daylong workshop allows teachers to work with “Squishy Circuit” materials, basic robotics and pattern recognition, among other tasks.

Mohr said while Tiny Techies can give young children a good foundation for computer science classes later on, it also provides them with skills they will need no matter what they’re working on.

“They are more prepared for any subject,” Mohr said. “This program really focuses on thinking skills and problem-solving, and the skills that kids will need in order to be successful everywhere.

“So it will help them in computer science, yes, but it goes much further than that.”

“We heard so many people in this summer’s workshop say, ‘’Now I feel confident in integrating this, and it isn’t going to be an extra burden on my day,’” Dahlby said.

“Hopefully all of them feel excited and supported as the school year starts, and they know that we will always be here to support them.”