UTeach Computer Science - Bringing Computer Science to High School Classrooms Across the Nation
Some regular readers will recall I am a co-founder of the UTeach Natural Sciences program recognized by the The White House as a national model for STEM education for aspiring teachers in 2014 and recipient of funding from the Howard Hughes Foundation, the Department of Education, the National Math and Science Institute and implementation and expansion funding from ExxonMobil. Recently, UTeach has expanded from science, mathematics, and engineering to become more formally involved with the field of computer science and particularly computer science at the middle and secondary level with a focus on children from under-represented populations. UTeach Computer Science has also worked closely with the nationally recognized Advanced Placement Program in forming an effective a scalable approach to STEM education reform at the national level. -Dr. Petrosino
UTeach Computer Science is a $2.5 million dollar project funded project by the National Science Foundation. The project proposes to
strengthen and expand access to computer science (CS) education in U.S.
high schools. The project will leverage the Thriving in Our Digital World curriculum, the successful UTeach model for STEM teacher preparation, the unique expertise of the UTeach Institute (the
organization charged with ensuring the fidelity of national UTeach
implementation and the expansion and the sustainability of related STEM
education innovations), and a national network, facilitated by the
UTeach Institute, of 44 UTeach partner programs at universities across
21 states and the District of Columbia. The project will develop and
scale professional development (PD) that prepares teachers for the new
AP® CS Principles course as it becomes officially available in the fall
of 2017.
Please CLICK HERE to see the project's video and an explanation of what the grant is trying to accomplish. I speak briefly about project based instruction, computer science, and equity -- some core components of this project for high school students from underserved populations.
UTeach Computer Science Principles is
not a “business as usual” curriculum. It goes beyond programming to
address the K12 CS Framework core ideas like creativity, abstraction,
global impact, and more. Beyond that, UTeach CSP Principles was
developed with the explicit intention of broadening participation among
young women and others historically underrepresented in the field. It’s
an issue of equity!
There are a number of great CS Principles courses available. Here are the things we think make our course unique:
- UTeach CS Principles was developed for high school teachers and
students by highly experienced and successful secondary CS teachers.
- The course engages students in authentic, project-based learning,
focusing less on programming than deep conceptual understanding and
computational thinking skills.
- UTeach CS Principles can be taught in a variety of classroom and
school environments, with no assumptions about students’ access to
technology at home.
- The course was designed using evidence-based strategies that
incorporate socially relevant content with the explicit intention of
motivating young women and others from groups historically
underrepresented in CS.
- UTeach CS Principles is endorsed by the College Board. It is
designed to prepare students to submit Performance Tasks and take the AP Computer Science Principles exam.
- The turnkey curriculum and teacher materials, coupled with our intensive training and support model, enables teachers and students who are new to computer science to be successful.
- UTeach CSP has been implemented in 300 classrooms nationwide.
Teachers help shape and improve the curriculum and support each other by
sharing resources and crowdsourcing solutions.
