Computer Science in Science PD: Computational Thinking And The Framework For K-12 Science Education - Discussion

I want students to be engaged and exposed to different types of science by engaging in the Science and Engineering Practices. Learning to integrate CS will help students to become more involved and responsible for their own learning. I believe this will help them to become more informed citizens in our increasingly global world.

There is a rift between my current identity as a science teacher, and what I aspire to. As of this past year, I identify too closely with the teacher who is rushing to get through all the content for 8th grade in time to review 6th and 7th grade topics before my students take the SOL test. I conduct many labs and hands on activities, but the thorough follow up and analysis is frequently short changed. I’d like to have an identity as a teacher who taught his students to “fish for a lifetime”…to research and hypothesize and experiment and analyze. Hopefully I’m on my way there.

Hope the teachers in your school come on board with the good attitude. They probably will, since you are offering to help in an important field, rather than just another mundane initiative of questionable value.

I have always aspired to teach my students to be good problem-solvers and be able to think on their feet. This tool helps students to be successful in life, not just in science. I plan to use coding to supplement what I do and how I teach. Coding provide another tool in the students’ toolkits for solving problems.

Hi mullendl!

You bring up a valid point about teaching standards and teaching science skills. In my state (Indiana), we have always taught a set of standards and are standards driven. Yet, when attending PD, teaching science should be about project-based learning with focusing on the process rather than the standards. Coding fits into processing the problem versus worrying about every standard that is required. Maybe focusing on the process primarily with the standards being hit while completing the process may help to meet your goal. Best of luck!

I aspire to be an inspiring teacher. One who presents outstanding opportunities for deep understanding of content, and activities that allow students to create exceptional work they can feel proud about. I also aspire to be a fun teacher, who students enjoy being around and who makes science something that students WANT to learn. Integrating computer science provides an area that I believe students will be interested in and will open possibilities for students to grapple with information and create exceptional work. I want students to look back on what they have done in my class and feel proud of themselves, and I look forward to using computer science as a means to this end.

As a science teacher I aspire to be a great facilitator and coach. I want to help my students come up with questions of their own in order to solve problems, by teaching them how to think. I would integrate computer science in my class immediately with many of the topics we learn. In most or maybe every single standard in NGSS students need to make models to demonstrate their learning.

Computer science relates to my professional goals and identity as a science teacher because it is a platform I can use to help my students become thinkers and problem solvers.

My identity as a Science teacher is to inspire students to be curious, feel successful in the process of learning, and be excited about learning. By learning to integrate Computer Science in Science through modeling and simulation, this will hopefully make the learning process more exciting for the students, develop curiosity about learning and working with their peers, and develop more confidence by becoming successful as they learn, even if they have failures on the way. Modeling and Simulation makes is easier to feel and like a scientist, which ultimately empowers the student. As a teacher, I won’t be the expert of all, but get to be a learner with my students. All in all, this is a more collaborative way to teach and learn.

I agree with all of these! I love when students tell me that they never liked science until they took my class and now they love it. I also try to promote outside the box thinking through STEM challenges, and look forward to seeing how I can do so with computer science in the mix as well!

I aspire to teach students how to think critically, problem solve, explore their curiosities, work cooperatively, learn to share information effectively with others, & become independent learners (and maybe learn a little science along the way :wink:). CS through modeling and simulations will facilitate students to think critically while they design, program, and analyze models and simulations. As students model phenomena and test their simulations, they will need to problem solve when programming doesn’t work as planned. If students are allowed to design their own inquiries based upon their own interests, they will enjoy researching and learning about their topic. Students will need to work with other students, and share their ideas and research with their partners.

The skills needed for tomorrow’s world are difficult to predict. A few years ago I would have never guessed that an oversize cell phone (a tablet) or a normal size cell phone would replace a computer or laptop. Who knows what technologies will be used in a couple of years when our students graduate? The best we can do is teach them as much about current technologies so that they can make the leap from one system to another.

As a life science teacher, I want to facilitate an understanding of the natural world as well as foster my students’ curiosities and questions relating to real-world situations. I love when my students WANT to find answers. Motivation to look beyond the information a teacher can provide is crucial in student learning nowadays. Computer science can help with this process by providing students a means for them to create virtual models and simulations to help answer their scientific questions. This may modify a teacher’s role in that he/she no longer has to be the key resource to information for students. Instead, the teacher is one who will now support the student’s journey as he/she moves toward answering his/her own real-word questions.

As a teacher I enjoy combining Real World situations/scenarios and computer applications. I believe showing students how to use computers, software, devices, and software as tools to explore, simplify, and engage in real world activities is the best way to promote 21st century skills as well as train students to become lifelong learners. As a teacher, I want to know that when students leave my room they have a desire to explore, learn, and create using technology. When students learn to use computer models they also learn how to think, problem solve, and become productive members of today and tomorrow’s society.As a teacher I enjoy combining Real World situations/scenarios and computer applications. I believe showing students how to use computers, software, devices, and software as tools to explore, simplify, and engage in real world activities is the best way to promote 21st century skills as well as train students to become lifelong learners. As a teacher, I want to know that when students leave my room they have a desire to explore, learn, and create using technology. When students learn to use computer models they also learn how to think, problem solve, and become productive members of today and tomorrow’s society.

I aspire for my identity to be a teacher, not confined to science teacher only. Whether it is science, one of my passions, on the football field where I coach 8th graders, character skills and kindness throughout the school, hard work, and so on, I think integrating computer science in our schools is just another step towards providing kids skills and experiences to prepare them for that ever changing world they will soon be adults in. It’s logical to include these concepts just as any subject of the sciences has must have concepts and ideas to get to students in each respective class/content area. Using modeling and simulations through a computer science framework will allow and force students into new ways of thinking and skills they may not pursue on their own

As a teacher I aspire to inspire my students to be curious, explore and be open to the facts the expirements and modeling uncovers.

My goal as a science teacher is to excite my students’ natural curiosity about how the world works and encourage them to apply what they learn in the science classroom to real life situations. This practice of thinking logically, creating a visual model that can help others visualize the events, and then analyzing or reevaluating the results is a skill that will serve my students as they enter the workforce and begin making decisions that effect their adult lives.

I feel like, as a Science teacher, I try to find exciting ways to get the students excited about the material, while teaching them that everything within our world is connected in an intricate balance. I try to teach them life lessons through the material that will maybe outlast such things as the vocabulary. I do need to do a better job at incorporating experiments and lab experiences. A lack of funding and resources is my major reason for not doing such things, so I am hopeful with the help of code.org, I will be able to do relevant activities easily.

that is definitely a struggle!

When I include scientific nonfiction in my classroom, I am aspiring to expand the exploration to which my students are exposed in my colleagues’ classrooms. Further, I want to illustrate for them the interconnectedness of everything which they study in school. Moreover, the more evidence which students can access and analyze, the stronger their persuasive writing will be.

You are SO right - creating a context in which students WANT to find the answers, especially to quality questions which they’ve asked one another!