Guide to Teaching Computer Science : An Activity-Based Approach

The dynamic evolution of the field of computer science (CS) also poses educational and pedagogical challenges, such as issues of CS teacher recruitment, pre-service teacher preparation, support for teachers' ongoing professional development, and the design of teaching and learning material. This unique Guide to Teaching Computer Science presents both a conceptual framework and detailed implementation guidelines for general CS teaching. The content is clearly written and structured to be applicable to all levels of CS education and for any teaching organization, without limiting its focus to instruction of any specific curriculum, programming language or paradigm. Topics and features: Presents an overview of curriculum topics in CS, and of research in CS education Examines strategies for teaching problem-solving, pupil evaluation, and for dealing with pupils’ misunderstandings Provides learning activities throughout the book Proposes active-learning-based classroom teaching methods, as well as methods for lab-based teaching Discusses various types of questions that a CS instructor, tutor, or trainer can use for a range of teaching situations Investigates thoroughly issues of lesson planning and course design Describes frameworks by which prospective CS teachers gain their first teaching experience Drawing on the authors’ experience of more than two decades of teaching and research in CS education, this concise, thorough and easy-to-follow book is eminently suitable for use as either a teaching guide for all CS instructors or as a textbook for CS teacher training programs. Dr. Orit Hazzan is an associate professor in the Department of Education in Technology and Science at Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel. Dr. Tami Lapidot is Executive Manager of Machshava – the Israeli National Center for Computer Science Teachers, Haifa, Israel. Dr. Noa Ragonis is a lecturer in the Department of Computer Science at Beit Berl College, Israel. Introduction-What is this guide about. Introduction Motivation for writing this guide The methods of teaching computer science (MTCS) course The structure of the guide to teaching computer science How to use the guide? Active learning and the active-learning-based teaching model. Introduction Active learning Why active learning is suitable for implementation Active-learning-based teaching model The role of the instructor in the active-learning-based teaching model Overview of the discipline of computer science. Introduction What is computer science? The history of computer science Computer scientists Social issues of computer science Programming paradigms Computer science soft ideas Research in computer science education. Introduction Research in computer science education: what it is and why and how it is useful? MTSC course activities Problem solving strategies. Introduction Problem-solving processes Problem understanding Solution design Solution examination Reflection Learners' alternate conceptions. Introduction Pedagogical tools for dealing with alternative conceptions Activities to be facilitated in MTCS course Teaching methods in computer science education. Introduction Pedagogical tools Different forms of class organization Mentoring software project development Lab-based teaching. Introduction What is a computer lab? Lab-first approach Visualization and animation Using the internet in the teaching of computer science Types of questions in computer science education. Introduction Types of questions Kinds of answers Assimilation of the types of questions to different computer science contents Question preparation Evaluation. Introduction Tests Project evaluation Portfolio The evaluation of the students in the MTCS course Teaching planning. Introduction Top-down approach for teaching planning Illustration: teaching one-dimensional array Activities to be facilitated in the MTCS course Integrated view at the MTCS course organization the case of recursion. Introduction Classification of everyday objects and phenomena: the case of recursion Leap of faith Models of the recursive process Research on learning and teaching recursion How does recursion sound? Evaluation Additional activities Getting experience in computer science education. Introduction The practicum in the high school A tutoring model for guiding problems Practicum versus tutoring Design of a methods of teaching computer science course. Perspectives on the MTCS course Suggestions of the MTCS course syllabi High school computer science teacher preparation programs. A model for high school computer science education Construction of a computer science teacher preparation Epilogue. The dynamic evolution of the field of computer science also poses educational and pedagogical challenges, such as issues of computer science (CS) teacher recruitment, pre-service teacher preparation, support for teachers' ongoing professional development, and the design of teaching and learning material. This unique Guide to Teaching Computer Science presents both a conceptual framework and detailed implementation guidelines for general CS teaching. The content is clearly written and structured to be applicable to all levels of CS education and for any teaching organization, without limiting its focus to instruction for any specific curriculum, programming language or paradigm. Topics and features: presents an overview of curriculum topics in computer science, and of research in CS education; examines strategies for teaching problem-solving, evaluating pupils, and for dealing with pupils’ misunderstandings; provides learning activities throughout the book, consistently supported by chapter references; proposes active-learning-based classroom teaching methods, as well as methods specifically for lab-based teaching; discusses various types of questions that a CS instructor, tutor, or trainer can use for a range of different teaching situations; investigates thoroughly issues of lesson planning and course design; describes frameworks by which prospective CS teachers gain their first teaching experience. Drawing on the authors’ experience of more than two decades of teaching and research in computer science education, this concise, thorough and easy-to-follow book is eminently suitable for use as either a teaching guide or as a textbook for computer science teacher training programs. This textbook presents both a conceptual framework and detailed implementation guidelines for computer science (CS) teaching. Updated with the latest teaching approaches and trends, and expanded with new learning activities, the content of this new edition is clearly written and structured to be applicable to all levels of CS education and for any teaching organization. Features: provides 110 detailed learning activities; reviews curriculum and cross-curriculum topics in CS; explores the benefits of CS education research; describes strategies for cultivating problem-solving skills, for assessing learning processes, and for dealing with pupils' misunderstandings; proposes active-learning-based classroom teaching methods, including lab-based teaching; discusses various types of questions that a CS instructor or trainer can use for a range of teaching situations; investigates thoroughly issues of lesson planning and course design; examines the first field teaching experiences gained by CS teachers This guide presents both a conceptual framework and detailed implementation guidelines for general computer science (CS) teaching. The content is clearly written and structured to be applicable to all levels of CS education and for any teaching organization, without limiting its focus to instruction for any specific curriculum, programming language or paradigm. Features: presents an overview of research in CS education; examines strategies for teaching problem-solving, evaluating pupils, and for dealing with pupils misunderstandings; provides learning activities throughout the book; proposes active-learning-based classroom teaching methods, as well as methods specifically for lab-based teaching; discusses various types of questions that a CS instructor, tutor, or trainer can use for a range of different teaching situations; investigates thoroughly issues of lesson planning and course design; describes frameworks by which prospective CS teachers gain their first teaching experience. Front Matter....Pages i-xxv Introduction – What Is This Guide About?....Pages 1-12 Active Learning and the Active-Learning-Based Teaching Model....Pages 13-19 Overview of the Discipline of Computer Science....Pages 21-46 Research in Computer Science Education....Pages 47-62 Problem-Solving Strategies....Pages 63-78 Learners’ Alternative Conceptions....Pages 79-89 Teaching Methods in Computer Science Education....Pages 91-118 Lab-Based Teaching....Pages 119-141 Types of Questions in Computer Science Education....Pages 143-163 Evaluation....Pages 165-179 Teaching Planning....Pages 181-192 Integrated View at the MTCS Course Organization: The Case of Recursion....Pages 193-212 Getting Experience in Computer Science Education....Pages 213-227 Design of a Methods of Teaching Computer Science Course....Pages 229-234 High School Computer Science Teacher Preparation Programs....Pages 235-246 Epilogue....Pages 247-247 Back Matter....Pages 249-260 This guide presents a conceptual framework and detailed implementation guidelines for general computer science (CS) teaching. It is applicable to all levels of CS education and not limited to any one specific curriculum, programming language or paradigm