We are measuring their computational thinking growth by examining key computational thinking concepts such as decomposition, algorithmic thinking, and generalization both when grading their assignments and their perception of their computational thinking growth through surveys.   

Yes, we have felt that it would be easier for their future students too!  One thing we did is that in addition to updating existing courses to include computational thinking and coding, we created an entire 15-week introductory computer science course so that pre-service teachers can have more time to really get used to programming with robotics and Scratch.  

Most of our preservice teachers have not done student teaching yet as they are just starting out in the program. Our hope is that they will use these modules!

Great! It will be fascinating to hear about their experience in the classroom as your project moves forward.

We have had focus group interviews to gather data on the pre-service teachers' experiences.  Our focus group data showed that pre-service teachers in our new Computer Science for All course (introductory Computer Science course for educators) had the most confidence in their abilities to learn and teach with computing.  We have created this new computer science course and also modified our biology for educators, geometry for educators, physics for educators and science methods course to all include computational thinking.   

Which teacher program were you part of?  Our education program (MSTQE), for pre-service STEM K-8 teachers, is actually a bridge program with Chicago Community Colleges.  The community college students and our students from Northeastern Illinois University all take classes together at Northeastern.  This makes it very easy for the community college students to continue on to Northeastern after.  The students in the MSTQE program do not necessarily have a CS background (most do not) so what we are doing is really new to them but they are enjoying it and it will be great when they can take what they are learning to their future classrooms.   

We are developing our website to publish our curriculum/lesson plans this summer.  By the end of July/early August we should have it completed.  

The courses that are part of the MSTQE program are math and science content (i.e. Geometry, Statistics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Algebra, etc) and are for students who want to teach math/science in grades 1-8 however the main focus is on middle level.  Once the students begin taking their professional courses through the college of education, they take specific methods courses that focus on either elementary or middle level teaching or students may choose to take both so that they are able to teach all grades, 1-8.  In the past few years, Illinois has changed the licensure structure from an Elementary license grades K-9 (and then you needed a middle level endorsement for grades 6-9) to Elementary 1-6 and Middle 5-8. Students have the opportunity once they start with the college of education to go 1) Elementary; 2) Elementary and add on middle level or; 3) Middle level.

So far some of the pre-service teachers who have helped create the modules have presented at conferences/symposia, but in general our pre-services teachers have not yet had a chance to use what they have learned in K-12 classrooms- that is next for us!  

Thank you! 

Thanks!  You are definitely right!