Curriculum and PD providers in particular have a lot of power to influence what’s viewed as “normal” in the CS classroom. The relatively few people who write curriculum or design PD have an outsized impact. We need to learn, grow, ask questions, and build community in order to live up to responsibilities of that impact. Also, meeting other curriculum and PD nerds is fun!
If you design PK-12 computer science professional development at scale, we welcome you to join our community, led by volunteers from this community. We will focus on supporting teacher development of equitable and inclusive teaching practices. Goals include building community, sharing best practices, solving collective challenges, and exchanging ideas. This will enable us to collectively improve as a community and make more a substantial impact on the field.
Save the Dates!
In 2023-24, virtual PD Provider Summits will be held on the following Fridays from noon to 2pm ET:
July 14, 2023October 6, 2023January 19, 2024- April 12, 2024
Plus, we’ll meet in person at the CSTA Annual Conference in Las Vegas on July 16-19, 2024 (exact date/time TBD).
January 19, 2024
Incorporating UDL and HLPs in CS Teacher PD
As PD and curriculum providers, you may already be well versed in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and High Leverage Practices (HLPs) as ways to support the needs of all learners, including those with disabilities*. However, have you thought carefully about how you use these strategies within teacher professional development? Doing so is important to both support learner variability among the diverse teacher audience in PD and to model the instruction practices that they should in turn implement in their classrooms.
Please join our next CSTA PD Provider Summit on Friday, January 19, 2024, where Dr. Maya Israel from the University of Florida will present on incorporating UDL and HLPs in your CS teacher PD. She will share her team’s vast experience and resources and prompt conversation among providers to share the strategies they already use and discuss new ideas they have.
As always, we’ll end with an open-ended birds of a feather (BOF) session, and incorporate lots of time to meet and greet with fellow providers. We hope to see you there!
Agenda
| Time (ET) | Topic |
|---|---|
| 2:00 – 2:15 | Introductions & Kickoff |
| 2:15 – 2:35 2:35 – 3:00 3:00 – 3:10 | Incorporating UDL and HLPs in CS Teacher PD with Dr. Maya Israel Breakout Discussions Debrief |
| 3:10 – 3:15 | Dance Break |
| 3:15 – 3:45 | Birds of a Feather Discussions (breakouts selected based on interest) |
| 3:45 – 4:00 | Close-out |
Suggested Pre-Work
Resources
Slides & Notes
Recording
Resources from Prior Summits
Hosting Equity-focused PD in the Current Political Climate
The last few years have seen many parts of the United States pass laws limiting or outlawing curriculum and PD that include DEI topics. Yet, equity and inclusion are essential to the knowledge and skills of effective CS teachers, as delineated in the Standards for CS Teachers and in one of CSTA’s core values. This has created a complicated landscape in which providers must decide how to create PD aligned to their current political landscape. In this summit, several PD providers will share their own experiences and strategies navigating the current context while maintaining a focus on equity. As always, we will have plenty of time for discussion with other providers, including on other topics of interest, so please add your suggestions for birds-of-a-feather breakouts in the registration form.
Details
- Date: Friday, October 6, 2023
- Time: 12:00 to 2:00 pm ET
- Location: Zoom (virtual) – link will be shared directly with registrants
- Cost: Free
- Audience: People who design PK-12 computer science professional development and curriculum at scale
- CS Teacher Standards Alignment: 2a. Examine issues of equity in CS; 2b. Minimize threats to inclusion; 3e. Leverage community resources; 3f. Participate in CS professional learning communities
Agenda
Resources
Slides & Notes
Recording
Evolving with Changing Times
Details
- Date: Friday, July 14, 2023, following the 2023 CSTA Annual Conference
- Time: 11:00 to 2:30 pm ET (8:00 to 11:30am PT)
- Location: Zoom (virtual)
- Cost: Free
- Audience: People who design PK-12 computer science professional development and curriculum at scale
- Goals: Build community, share best practices, solve collective challenges, and exchange ideas.
- CS Teacher Standards Alignment: 4b. Develop standards-aligned learning experiences, 4c. Design inclusive learning experiences, 3e. Leverage community resources, 3f. Participate in CS professional learning communities, 3a. Pursue targeted professional development
Agenda
Slides & Notes
Recording
Responsible Provider-ing in the Face of AI Hype
The last several months of excitement around AI technology has us providers facing many questions from teachers, education leaders, students, and parents. Should the education system be evolving (or rapidly pivoting?) to incorporate AI? Where do these topics belong in the already overpacked curriculum? Should newly-developed tools be rapidly ushered into classrooms, and is this even feasible? As curriculum and PD providers, you have the opportunity and responsibility to help influence these conversations in ways that help bring exciting new topics to classrooms while thinking critically about the technical, ethical, and logistical concerns that come with introducing any new topic. Join us for a presentation on how other providers have approached these questions before and have an open conversation with other providers about how they’re reacting to AI hype. As always we’ll end with an open-ended BOF and incorporate lots of time to meet and greet with fellow providers. We hope to see you there!
Details
- Date: Friday, April 21, 2023
- Time: 2:00 to 4:00 pm ET
- Location: Zoom (virtual)
- Cost: Free
- Audience: People who design PK-12 computer science professional development at scale
- Goals: Build community, share best practices, solve collective challenges, and exchange ideas.
- Focus: Responsible Provider-ing in the Face of AI Hype
- CS Teacher Standards Connections: 1e. Develop programs and interpret algorithms, 1f. Analyze impacts of computing
Agenda
| Time (ET) | Topic |
|---|---|
| 2:00 – 2:15 | Introductions & Opening with Dianne O’Grady-Cunniff |
| 2:15 – 2:35 2:35 – 3:00 3:00 – 3:10 | Responsible Provider-ing in the Face of AI Hype with Sarah Judd & Charlotte Dungan Breakout Discussions Debrief |
| 3:10 – 3:15 | Dance Break |
| 3:15 – 3:45 | Birds of a Feather Discussions (breakouts selected based on interest) |
| 3:45 – 4:00 | Close-out |
Resources
Slides
Recording
Responding to Results from the CS Teacher Landscape Survey
Details
- Date: Friday, February 3, 2023
- Time: 2:00 to 4:00 pm ET
- Location: Zoom (virtual)
- Cost: Free
- Audience: People who design PK-12 computer science professional development at scale
- Goals: Build community, share best practices, solve collective challenges, and exchange ideas.
- Focus: What can we learn from the results of a landscape survey of PreK-12 CS teachers? How might we use data from this landscape survey to best support teachers in our programs?
Agenda
| Time (ET) | Topic |
|---|---|
| 2:00 – 2:15 | Introductions & Opening |
| 2:15 – 2:35 2:35 – 2:55 2:55 – 3:05 | CS Teacher Landscape Survey Results with Dr. Sonia Koshy and Bryan Twarek Breakout Discussions Debrief |
| 3:05 – 3:10 | Dance Break |
| 3:10 – 3:45 | Birds of a Feather Discussions (breakouts selected based on interest) – Accommodating teacher disabilities – Ongoing training – Supporting culturally responsive-sustaining CS education – Reflecting on how your PD aligns with identity-inclusive computing – [other participant-suggested topics] |
| 3:45 – 4:00 | Close-out |
Resources
Slides
Recording
Better Integrating Identity-Inclusive Computing in PD
Details
- Date: Thursday, July 14, 2022
- Time: 12:30 to 4:30 pm CT
- Location: McCormick Place West, Chicago, IL (room W184bc)
- Cost: Free, with lunch provided!
- Audience: People who design PK-12 computer science professional development at scale
- Goals: Build community, share best practices, solve collective challenges, and exchange ideas.
- Focus: Standard 2. Equity & Inclusion: How do we better integrate tenets of identity-inclusive computing education in our (curriculum + PD) programs?
Agenda
| Time (CT) | Topic |
|---|---|
| 12:30 – 1:00 | Lunch & Networking |
| 1:00 – 1:15 | Summit Kickoff, Framing, and Introductions |
| 1:15 – 2:25 | Better Integrating Equitable and Identity-Inclusive Computing Practices in Our PD Programs – facilitated by Joanna Goode & Gail Chapman |
| 2:25 – 2:40 | Coffee & Snack Break |
| 2:40 – 3:25 | Moving Things Forward: From Theory to Practice – An Interactive Panel featuring Briana Blaser, Faythe Brannon, Leon Tynes, Quiana Bannerman |
| 3:25 – 3:30 | Quick Break |
| 3:30 – 4:15 | Birds of a Feather Discussions |
| 4:15 – 4:30 | Close-out |
Resources
- Slide Deck (embedded below)
- Graphic Organizer (AiiCE Tenets)
- BOF Discussion Sign-up
- Alliance for Identity Inclusive Computing Education (AiiCE)
- State of CS Report (Code.org, CSTA, and ECEP)
- CS Teacher Landscape (Kapor Center and CSTA)
- CSTA Guidelines for Accessibility of PD & Meetings
- AccessComputing
Slides
Designing for Accessibility
As a community, we have an important need to improve accessibility in K-12 CS education, and curriculum PD providers play a critical role in enabling teachers to meet their students’ needs. Come learn about designing for accessibility from a leading expert, UW Professor Emeritus Dr. Richard Ladner, and then engage in breakouts to discuss and learn from each other on this topic. We will also organize Birds of a Feather (BOF) sessions for informal conversation about common areas of interest. This event will be held in Zoom, is free to attend, and is completely virtual. See the agenda below for more information.
Details
- Date: Friday, May 13, 2022
- Time: 2:00 to 4:00pm ET (11:00am to 1:00pm PT)
- Audience: People who design PK-12 computer science professional development at scale
- Goals: Build community, share best practices, solve collective challenges, and exchange ideas.
- Focus: Indicator 2e. Use accessible instructional materials from the CSTA Standards for CS Teachers: Evaluate tools and curricula and leverage resources to improve accessibility for all students.
Agenda
| Time (ET) | Topic |
|---|---|
| 2:00 – 2:15 | Introductions & Opening |
| 2:15 – 3:05 | Designing for Accessibility with Dr. Richard Ladner |
| 3:05 – 3:10 | Stretch Break |
| 3:10 – 3:45 | Birds of a Feather Discussions (breakouts selected based on interest) |
| 3:45 – 4:00 | Close-out |
Resources
- Slide Deck and Collaborative Notes (embedded below)
- Teacher to Teacher accessibility in CS video series:
Slides
Recording
Empowering Teachers as Instructional Designers
Details
- Date: Friday, January 14, 2022
- Time: 2:00 to 4:00pm ET (11:00am to 1:00pm PT)
- Audience: People who design PK-12 computer science professional development at scale
- Goals: Build community, share best practices, solve collective challenges, and exchange ideas.
- Focus: Standard 4. Instructional Design from the CSTA Standards for CS Teachers.
Agenda
| Time (ET) | Topic |
|---|---|
| 2:00 – 2:15 | Introductions & Opening |
| 2:15 – 3:05 | Balancing Teacher Support with Empowerment as Instructional Designers – facilitated by Jon Stapleton and Perry Shank (CodeVA) |
| 3:05 – 3:10 | Stretch Break |
| 3:10 – 3:45 | Birds of a Feather Discussions (breakouts selected based on interest) |
| 3:45 – 4:00 | Close-out – facilitated by Dr. Abigail Joseph & James Koontz |
Resources
- Slide Deck and Collaborative Notes (embedded below)
- CSTA Standards for CS Teachers
Standard 4. Instructional Design: Effective CS teachers design learning experiences that engage students in problem solving and creative expression through CS, using pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). They plan to meet the varied learning, cultural, linguistic, and motivational needs of individual students in order to build student self-efficacy and capacity in CS.Effective CS teachers:- 4a. Analyze CS curricula for implementation in their classrooms in terms of CS standards alignment, accuracy, completeness of content, cultural relevance, and accessibility.
- 4b. Design and adapt learning experiences that align to comprehensive K-12 CS standards.
- 4c. Use Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Culturally Relevant Pedagogy (CRP), and other techniques to support all students in successfully accessing and engaging with content.
- 4d. Design learning experiences that make connections to other disciplines and real-world contexts.
- 4e. Plan opportunities for students to create and share open-ended and personally meaningful projects.
- 4f. Plan activities that use evidence-based, CS-specific teaching strategies to develop students’ conceptual understanding and proactively address student misconceptions in CS.
- 4g. Develop multiple forms and modalities of assessment to provide feedback and support. Use resulting data for instructional decision-making and differentiation.
Slides
Recording
Aligning to CS Teacher Standards & Incorporating Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Practices
Details
- Date: Friday, July 16, 2021
- Time: 2:00 to 5:00pm ET (11:00am to 2:00pm PT), directly following the CSTA Conference
- Audience: People who design PK-12 computer science professional development at scale, including but not limited to those programs accredited by the CSTA PD Committee
- Goals: Build community, learn best practices, and exchange ideas, to collectively improve as PD providers
- Focus: CSTA Standards for CS Teachers + related resources for PD Providers, Kapor Center’s Culturally Responsive-Sustaining CS Education Framework, and learning from one another
Agenda
| Time (ET) | Topic | Facilitators |
|---|---|---|
| 2:00 – 2:15 | Introductions & Opening | Dr. Michelle Friend and GT Wrobel |
| 2:15 – 3:05 | Standards for CS Teachers Introduction & Self-Assessment Rubrics + Exemplars | Dianne O’Grady-Cunniff, GT Wrobel, and Jared O’Leary |
| 3:05 – 3:10 | Stretch Break | |
| 3:10 – 4:00 | Culturally Responsive-Sustaining CS Education Framework, with a focus on the core components | Shana V. White and Kalisha Davis |
| 4:00 – 4:10 | Stretch Break | |
| 4:10 – 4:45 | Birds of a Feather Discussions | Unfacilitated breakout discussions by interest |
| 4:45 – 5:00 | Close-out | Dr. Abigail Joseph & Dr. Michelle Friend |
Resources
- Slide Deck and Collaborative Notes (also embedded below)
- Main Session Recording (also embedded below)
- CSTA Standards for CS Teachers
- Kapor Center’s Culturally Responsive-Sustaining CS Education Framework
- Application to join the CSTA PD Committee (select committees, then PD)
Slides
Recording
Community Directory
Please email Dr. Amanda Bell to add or update your listing in this directory.
This work is supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 2118453. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.