Guide to Teaching Computer Science: An Activity-Based Approach / Edition 3

by Orit Hazzan, Noa Ragonis, Tami Lapidot

Overview

This concise yet thorough textbook presents an active-learning model for the teaching of computer science. Offering both a conceptual framework and detailed implementation guidelines, the work is designed to support a Methods of Teaching Computer Science (MTCS) course, but may be applied to the teaching of any area of computer science at any level, from elementary school to university. This text is not limited to any specific curriculum or programming language, but instead suggests various options for lesson and syllabus organization.

Fully updated and revised, the third edition features more than 40 new activities, bringing the total to more than 150, together with new chapters on computational thinking, data science, and soft concepts and soft skills. This edition also introduces new conceptual frameworks for teaching such as the MERge model, and new formats for the professional development of computer science educators.

Topics and features: includes an extensive set of activities, to further support the pedagogical principles outlined in each chapter; discusses educational approaches to computational thinking, how to address soft concepts and skills in a MTCS course, and the pedagogy of data science (NEW); focuses on teaching methods, lab-based teaching, and research in computer science education, as well as on problem-solving strategies; examines how to recognize and address learners’ misconceptions, and the different types of questions teachers can use to vary their teaching methods; provides coverage of assessment, teaching planning, and designing a MTCS course; reviews high school teacher preparation programs, and how prospective teachers can gain experience in teaching computer science.

This easy-to-follow textbook and teaching guide will prove invaluable to computer science educators within all frameworks, including university instructors and high school teachers, as well as to instructors of computer science teacher preparation programs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783030393595
Publisher:	Springer International Publishing
Publication date:	08/05/2020
Edition description:	Third Edition 2020
Pages:	407
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

Dr. Orit Hazzan is Professor and Head of the Department of Education in Science and Technology at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel. Dr. Hazzan’s other publications with Springer include Agile Anywhere – Essays on Agile Projects and Beyond (2014) and Agile Software Engineering (2008).

Dr. Tami Lapidot is Executive Manager of Machshava – the Israeli National Center for Computer Science Teachers, Haifa, Israel.

Dr. Noa Ragonis is Head of the Instructional Development Center and a computer science senior lecturer at Beit Berl College, and an adjacent senior lecturer at the Department of Education in Science and Technology, Technion. Dr. Ragonis’ publications include eight computer science high-school textbooks and teachers guides (in Hebrew).

Table of Contents

Introduction – What Is This Guide About?

Active Learning and the Active-Learning-Based Teaching Model

Overview of the Discipline of Computer Science

Computational Thinking

Computer Science Soft Concepts and Soft Skills

Data Science and Computer Science Education

Research in Computer Science Education

Problem-Solving Strategies

Learners’ Alternative Conceptions

Teaching Methods in Computer Science Education

Lab-Based Teaching

Types of Questions in Computer Science Education

Assessment

Teaching Planning

Design of Methods of Teaching Computer Science Courses

Getting Experience in Computer Science Education

High School Computer Science Teacher Preparation Programs

Epilogue

Editorial Reviews

From the reviews:

“This book is directed at those who teach computer science (CS) in high schools or undergraduate classrooms. … The authors are all from Israel, and together represent three decades of experience. … this book is a valuable resource for high school and undergraduate teachers of introductory CS courses.” (G. Abramson, ACM Computing Reviews, September, 2011)

From the Publisher