We’ve implemented a handful of initiatives over the last four years to advance computer science and computational thinking education within the Iowa City Community School District. Along those lines, I wanted to share about an upcoming set of professional learning opportunities that align closely with the NSF-backed computational thinking pathways work we’ve done with Digital Promise.
Michigan State University is working with leading researchers and professional development providers from Telos Learning and Mouse to offer integrated computational thinking Professional Development and inviting PD participants to become iCT Teacher Fellows. This opportunity is open to any middle school ELA, Social Studies and Arts teachers from across the country, and I think it would be great if we had ICCSD teachers apply to participate in one or both of these programs.
These opportunities involve participation in a national cohort of teachers who will work together to explore approaches to teaching new forms of problem solving with roots in computing—“computational thinking”. Together, teachers will explore, learn, and design new approaches to middle-school level instruction in ELA, Social Studies, and Arts.
MSU is offering two connected opportunities this Summer and Fall:
- Integrated Computational Thinking Professional Development:
- Approximately a week of PD in late June and Early July 2022
- Stipend of $750
- ELA, Social Studies, and Arts teachers exploring approaches to CT integration across disciplines
- Integrated Computational Thinking Design Fellowship:
- Inclusive of above PD in early summer 2022, extending into later Summer and Fall 2022
- Stipend of $2,500
- ELA, Social Studies, and Arts teachers designing and implementing classroom activities integrating CT into their subject areas
Please feel free to review more details here, and access the teacher application. Applications are due May 25th. Anyone with questions can be in touch with Aman Yadav (ayadav@msu.edu).