Computer Science Teacher Training

Ellipsis Education computer science curriculum is grade-level differentiated, aligns with all state and national computer science standards, and is continually updated to reflect changes in computer science. Since computer science is more than just coding, Ellipsis Education courses include coding, unplugged, digital citizenship, and STEM career lessons as well as hardware integrations.

As the field of computer science advances, methods of effective instruction also need to be evaluated. Educators have an exciting opportunity to become a computer science teacher, engaging and learning alongside students.

A K-12 computer science teacher job description can vary greatly depending on the school or district. While some institutions require a computer science teacher qualification, many task other subject-matter classroom teachers with the subject. Especially at the elementary and middle school levels, educators may teach computer science alongside English, math, social studies, or art. As a result, you don’t need a computer science degree or years of experience in the field. Regardless of your teaching background, Ellipsis Education is confident that any educator can become a computer science teacher.

Programming languages come and go, and it’s important for teachers to know the foundational building blocks of coding. Luckily, though, success in computer science is much more than just coding. It’s being a problem-solver, thinking critically, and having the ability to collaborate effectively with peers. Seeking growth in those essential skills is just as applicable for teachers as it is for students. If you are teaching these skills in your classroom (which we are confident you are), then you already have what it takes to be a computer science teacher. If you’re looking for additional words of wisdom, we spoke with teacher, blogger, and podcaster Vicki Davis (Cool Cat Teacher) in our My STEM Career podcast. In this interview, listen to her advice for starting to learn and teach computer science in your classroom.

Ellipsis Education also offers free teacher workshops via webinar. These sessions cover various computer science topics, offering guidance for novice CS teachers while also allowing experienced CS teachers room for professional growth.

One coding professional development for teachers we hosted was titled Learning Roadmap: Java, JavaScript, and Python. That session covered some of the main technical concepts of Java, JavaScript, & Python, including details on the language complexity and learning curve, their best use cases, and some examples.

Not all PD opportunities are coding related, however. Other computer science professional development for teachers topics include Advancing ELLs in Computer Science, Connecting the 4 Cs and Computer Science, and Framework for Assessing Coding Lessons. Each webinar includes an overview of the topic, practical tips for implementing concepts and skills in your classroom, and a free computer science lesson or resource to take home.

You can download recorded sessions on demand from our free resources page.  After participating in a Ellipsis Education professional development session, you will receive a certificate of PD completion to your email inbox.

Should you choose to implement Ellipsis Education curriculum, you can pick from three types of training (self-paced video, interactive webinar, and in-person). Each training type provides guidance for setting up the classroom, navigating the lesson plans, and exploring the coding, unplugged, digital citizenship, and STEM career lessons as well as hardware integrations.

• Self-paced Video Training: Ellipsis Education curriculum includes product and platform video-based training with all curricula; no extra charge. These short videos are perfect for educators interested in a self-paced training opportunity. The videos can be used as a refresher throughout the course instruction.

• Interactive Webinar Training: These 3-hour sessions, delivered by Ellipsis Education Customer Experience Team members, provide interactive guidance for teachers, and include a train-the-trainer model.

• In-Person Training: The duration of these training sessions is designed to meet the needs of educators. Sessions are delivered by Ellipsis Education Customer Experience Team members, provide interactive guidance for teachers, and include a train-the-trainer model.

Each school also has a dedicated Customer Experience Team available to educators through their onboarding, training, and ongoing experience with the Ellipsis Education curriculum. The Customer Experience Team builds a relationship with the school/district leadership and all educators to ensure that the interaction with the Ellipsis Education curriculum is meeting customer needs and expectations, product, and platform questions are explained, and ensure continuity of care. Research has demonstrated this real-time support is critical for the fidelity of implementation and we have embedded this into our training model.

Many schools are implementing computer science programs for elementary students, which means teachers are expanding their knowledge into this content area. There are many benefits of becoming an elementary computer science teacher. First, elementary school computer science teachers begin with less complex coding languages. In general, young students begin their computer science coding journeys with block coding. Rather than having to write complex lines of code, teachers and students can use a visual drag-and-drop interface to create. This is especially nice for teachers that do not have as much technological experience; ScratchJr, Scratch, and Blockly are three popular block coding sites to explore. We offer free Ellipsis Education computer science lesson plans for each grade band (K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12). This includes a free coding lesson using ScratchJr.

Second, computer science is cross curricular and can be applied to many other areas of instruction. This is particularly helpful since elementary teachers usually teach all classroom subjects. Students can write stories and animate them using block coding to reinforce English / Language Arts standards. Students also use the coordinate plane when block coding, which reinforces math standards. This helps elementary school computer science teachers create a rich and immersive experience for students.

Finally, elementary computer science teachers have the opportunity to think about how to prepare for computer science in high school. The earlier students discover computer science, the more skills they will be able to apply in the future. The basic building blocks of coding taught in elementary school, such as loops, functions, and conditionals, can be applied to more complex languages. Students also practice the communication, collaboration, computational thinking, and creative skills they will need to be successful later in their educational careers. As students progress to more advanced projects, such as developing websites, programs, and games, they are motivated to connect with their world and empowered to expand their skills.

Many schools only offer one computer science high school class: AP Computer Science. While this is a great course for students who want an extra challenge or to explore the possibility of studying computer science in college, it can be intimidating to other students who may not have had the opportunity to practice computer science skills up until this point.

We are great advocates of offering a complete K-12 computer science experience, and that includes high school. Computer science teacher high school have the opportunity to empower their students with courses that expand their skills and develop their interests beyond just Java, the focus of the AP Computer Science class. Ellipsis Education high school courses use JavaScript, Java, Python, and Godot to develop websites, programs, and games. We offer free computer science lessons for high schoolers, including a free Python coding lesson for beginners. Whether students are building websites, manipulating data, or developing games, high schoolers build computer science skills that will prepare them for AP or other advanced-level courses. That way, they have years of experience and foundational knowledge that gives them confidence entering the AP exam or college courses.