Attracting Secondary School Students to Computer Science through Training Teachers to Establish Computer Clubs

Abstract

The poster describes an innovative approach to help secondary school teachers enhance their computer science (CS) knowledge through the Google funded CS4HS (Computer Science for High School) program. Through a 4-day professional training workshop teachers learn different computational thinking skills, CS concepts and related tools in an attempt to promote CS education by establishing a computer club and eventually teaching CS courses in their schools. The training includes units from the Exploring Computer Science curriculum and brainstorming sessions on starting clubs, club activities, and strategies for recruiting more girls and minorities in clubs. Participating teachers are invited back during the school year to participate in events including a CS conference and a competition and showcase for their students to continue the momentum started by the workshop. Teachers share the barriers to establishing clubs and success stories of being the first teachers to introduce computer science into their schools. More than 150 teachers from more than 50 secondary schools have participated in the CS4HS workshops since the programs inception. The result is that many of the participating teachers now have established computer clubs; many teach CS courses and many bring their club students to participate in the annual CS4HS Showcase and Competition event at Buffalo State College; all contributing to the goals of CS4HS which is to promote CS education in every secondary schools of Western New York. This will create a pipeline of aspiring CS students and help to alleviate the current and predicted shortage of CS professionals.