In the News
To further drive conversation around Computer Science, MƒA Master Teacher John McCrann’s EdWeek blog, “Prove It” features an opinion piece by Megan Roberts, MƒA Executive Director, “Making Computer Science ‘For All.’” In Roberts' piece, she highlights the unanswered questions surrounding the Computer Science for All initiative, addressing the need for teacher supports and a clarity regarding what we mean by computer science education:
While there may be general agreement that computer science education is important, there is far less consensus on how to make these initiatives a reality in our schools. From the philosophical question of how we should define computer science to the practical concern of how to provide access to the necessary hardware and broadband connectivity, realizing computer science "for all" will mean answering a number of fundamental questions.
First and foremost - we have to start with the teachers, the people who are actually charged with teaching computer science. Who is teaching computer science and what, exactly, do they teach?
Teachers in the United States are only just beginning to receive the respect they deserve as professionals- and many of us are working to change the conversation about how the public talks about teaching and teachers. But in general, there is agreement that teachers, in addition to their teaching skills, also need to know their subject area. Herein lies the conundrum with Computer Science. We don't have agreement about what the subject is - and without a definition of what it means to teach computer science in schools, it's unlikely that we'll be successful in finding qualified teachers to teach it.
Read Roberts’ entire op-ed on EdWeek.