Coding teaches our students the essence of logical thinking and problem solving while also preparing them for a world in which computing is becoming increasingly pervasive. While there’s excitement and enthusiasm about programming becoming an intrinsic part of K-12 curricula the world over, there’s also growing anxiety about preparing teachers to teach effectively at all grade levels. This book is an essential, enduring, practical guide for every K-12 teacher anywhere who is either teaching or planning to teach computer science and programming at any grade level. To this end, readers will discover:
- ❖ An A-to-Z organization that affords comprehensive insight into teaching introductory programming.
- ❖ 26 chapters that cover foundational concepts, practices and well-researched pedagogies related to teaching introductory programming as an integral part of K-12 computer science. Cumulatively these chapters address the two salient building blocks of effective teaching of introductory programming-what content to teach (concepts and practices) and how to teach (pedagogy).
- ❖ Concrete ideas and rich grade-appropriate examples inspired by practice and research for classroom use.
- ❖ Perspectives and experiences shared by educators and scholars who are actively practicing and/or examining the teaching of computer science and programming in K-12 classrooms.
Shuchi Grover is a senior research scientist at Looking Glass Ventures and a visiting scholar at Stanford University. Her research is focused on teaching and learning of computer science, computational thinking, and programming in schools. She has been working with children and programming since 2001, first in informal afterschool settings, and then in classrooms. Her current research encompasses the design of curricula and assessments for all levels of preK-12 CS education, as well as the integration of computing and coding in STEM and other subjects. She has led, and continues to lead, several large research projects (often in collaboration with universities and research organizations) with grants from the US National Science Foundation and other federal agencies. She also consults globally on projects related to K-12 CS, programming, and computational thinking education. The vision for a guide book for teachers encompassing both content and pedagogy took shape during her doctoral studies at Stanford University, which involved creating an introductory programming curriculum that drew on learnings from research in CS education as well as the learning sciences. In addition to publishing her research in leading academic journals, Shuchi is active in teacher outreach. She regularly collaborates with K-12 CS teachers and authors articles aimed at wider audiences beyond the research community. Over the past decade, she has served on the National K-12 Computer Science Framework team, taskforces of the Computer Science Teachers' Association, the ACM Education Advisory Committee (2018-present), and the editorial board of the ACM Transactions on Computing Education (2015-present). Shuchi's educational journey includes undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science, an Ed.M. in Technology in Education from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in Learning Sciences and Technology Design from Stanford University.
