Looking at Secondary Teacher Preparation Through the Lens of Computer Science

Abstract

Teaching computer science (CS) in high schools, rather than just programming or even computer literacy, is important as a means of introducing students to the true nature of CS, and enhancing their problem-solving skills. Since teachers are the key to the success of any high school educational initiative, any discussion of high school programs must consider the teachers, and specifically the teacher preparation needed to make the implementation of such programs possible. However, there is scant research on CS teacher education, probably because CS is a relatively young discipline. Very few of the publications in the area of CS teacher preparation are research-based. Most are descriptive papers, including recommendations for specific programs or courses. The purpose of this survey is to import from what is already known in other disciplines in this context. We therefore examine the body of research on teacher education in other disciplines, especially in mathematics and science, to shed light on important challenges for CS teacher education and draw some initial conclusions regarding CS teacher preparation programs.

Modelling Of Pck Competency Of Programming Teachers Through Fuzzy Delphi Method (Fdm)

“…According to Armoni (2011), having strong PCK is extremely important as it represents teachers' knowledge of how to identify the most appropriate teaching strategies by which they can transfer their knowledge to their students through meaningful learning experiences, thus enabling their students to attain sound understanding of the subject matter. In this respect, there is a difference between knowing the knowledge (content knowledge) and teaching (pedagogical knowledge).…”

“…In fact, the need to develop sound PCK seems to grow more and more imperative as several studies, including Armoni's (2011), indicate that the quality of teaching of some teachers has been questioned by some scholars due to their poor PCK, which may adversely affect student learning.…”

“…Thus far, a majority of studies have largely focussed on the preparation of computer science teachers (Gal-Ezer & Zu, 2013;Margaritis et al, 2015 ;Orit, Judith, & Noa, 2010) and the aspects of content knowledge of teachers (Driel, Verloop, & Vos, 1998;Ioannis & Charoula, 2013;Saeli et al, 2011). In addition, several researchers have conducted studies on the quality of teaching of programming and teachers' perspective of quality teaching of computer programming (Armoni, 2011;Kushan, 1994;Saeli et al, 2011;Schulte, 2013). Arguably, the required PCK of programming teachers may be different from other subject teachers, because of the highly abstract and complex nature of the programming subject (Erdogan, Aydin, & Kabaca, 2004).…”

Computer Science Education in French Secondary Schools

“…The objective was to get a picture of what had happened during the training activities, and to get inputs for improving the training in the coming years. Guidelines for Computer Science Teacher preparation have already been published, for instance in Armoni [2011] and could be adapted to the local context. The ISN national group of experts proposed a syllabus organized like the students' syllabus and aiming at bringing teachers close to the level of competence of a CS bachelor's degree.…”

Exploring the Effect of Teaching Methods on Students’ Learning of School Informatics

“…Learning is hindered by inadequate support, unfamiliar pedagogical approaches, and many other factors (Apiola, & Tedre, 2012). Another important problem for teachers is identifying suitable context of informatics use, since the subject is closely linked to almost all other subjects such as mathematics and science (Armoni, 2011). These contexts may be taken from the school context, the wider community, for example private or public sector, or from another subject area.…”