ERIC Number: EJ1336958
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-May
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-8756-3894
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Building a Virtual Community of Practice: Teacher Learning for Computational Thinking Infusion
Jocius, Robin; O'Byrne, W. Ian; Albert, Jennifer; Joshi, Deepti; Blanton, Melanie; Robinson, Richard; Andrews, Ashley; Barnes, Tiffany; Catete, Veronica
TechTrends: Linking Research and Practice to Improve Learning, v66 n3 p547-559 May 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic led to an urgent need for professional development (PD) experiences to support teacher learning across hybrid and digital contexts. This study investigates teachers' experiences in a Virtual Pivot, a PD workshop designed to support computational thinking integration into disciplinary teaching. Participants were 151 middle and high school content area teachers, including 49 teachers who participated in previous face-to-face workshops. Virtual Pivot employed research-based design principles for virtual teacher PD, including asynchronous and synchronous engagement, explicit instruction in technological tools and scaffolds for teacher collaboration. Data sources included pre-PD surveys (n = 151), post-PD surveys (n = 119), interviews (n = 57) and six-month follow-up surveys (n = 105). Findings describe elements of Virtual Pivot which supported teacher learning and engagement (virtual community of practice, PD structure, during-PD support, pre-PD support and badges). We conclude by discussing this study's theoretical, methodological and practical contributions for designing and investigating virtual computational thinking PD experiences.
Descriptors: Electronic Learning, Communities of Practice, Computation, Thinking Skills, COVID-19, Pandemics, Faculty Development, Blended Learning, Teacher Workshops, Middle School Teachers, High School Teachers, Synchronous Communication, Asynchronous Communication, Teaching Methods, Teacher Collaboration
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link-springer-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Junior High Schools; Middle Schools; Secondary Education; High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: 1742351; 1742332
Author Affiliations: N/A