2016 - 2018
Code for Philadelphia: Designing and Piloting Professional Development for Teachers to Learn How to Teach Computer Coding Through App Inventor
In 2017, this project addressed the increasing need for computer science education in K-12 classrooms, as emphasized by the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). To support this goal, we focused on the professional development (PD) of teachers, who faced significant challenges in adopting new technologies.
Our initiative involved creating and piloting PD activities using App Inventor, in collaboration with experienced teachers from the School District of Philadelphia (SDP). These activities aimed to help middle school teachers learn and teach coding effectively.
Fro this project, I developed a 16-week curriculum and taught the course it in a local middle school for two iterations, each employing a different design strategies. The project evaluated the impact of these activities on teaching practices and student learning. It was guided by research on effective PD, emphasizing subject matter integration, active problem-solving, connection to teachers' practice, and fostering professional discourse.
Ultimately, we aimed to scale these efforts with a larger grant from the National Science Foundation, enhancing computer science education across the district.
University Research Fund and the Milken Foundation, 2016-2017
PI: Dr. Susan Yoon
Related Research
Yoon, S. A., Shim, J., & Noushad, N. F. (2019). Trade-offs in using mobile tools to promote scientific action with socioscientific issues. TechTrends, 63(5), 602-610. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-019-00408-z
Shim, J., Yoon, S., & Noushad, N. (2019). Using a resource activation lens to understand classroom enactments of computationally-based science curricula. In K. Lund, G. P. Niccolai, E. Lavoué, C. Hmelo-Silver, G. Gweon, & M. Baker (Eds.), A Wide Lens: Combining embodied, enactive, extended, and embedded learning in collaborative settings, Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Computer Supported Collaborative Learning - CSCL 2019, Volume 2 (pp. 937-938). Lyon, France: International Society of the Learning Sciences. https://repository.isls.org/handle/1/4574
Noushad, N. F., Shim, J., & Yoon, S. A. (2017). Integrating social problem solving with programming to enhance science agency through creation of mobile apps in middle school. In B. K. Smith, M. Borge, E. Mercier, & K. Y. Lim (Eds.). Making a difference: Prioritizing equity and access in CSCL, Proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Computer Supported Collaborative Learning - CSCL 2017, Volume 2 (pp. 597-600). Philadelphia, PA: International Society of the Learning Sciences. https://repository.isls.org/handle/1/293
Conference Presentations
Shim, J., Yoon, S., & Noushad, N. (2019, February 21-22). A multiple case study of resource activation to support the integration of computational activities in the science classroom [Paper presentation]. The 40th Ethnography in Education Research Forum, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Yoon, S., Noushad, N. F., & Shim, J. (2017, August 21 - 25). Designing to use mobile apps as artifacts to promote action with socioscientific issues [Paper presentation]. The 12th Conference of the European Science Education Research. Dublin, Ireland.
