Whole School “CT Teacher in Residence” Model

PD Model

Case Model 3 implemented a whole-school approach from the start by establishing weekly office hours for the PD provider to serve as a teacher-in-residence (TIR). Through this model, the PD provider was readily available to coach, observe, and provide feedback to teachers on an as-needed basis.

In addition to the TIR, the school aligned existing materials, including the math curriculum and monthly collaborative ELA and math tasks that were implemented by the whole school.

  • PD provider to school ratio: 1 to 1
  • Years the school participated in PD program: 2018–2020
  • Primary focus of PD: Teacher self-efficacy
School Description

Located in the Bronx, the school in Case Model 3 serves children in pre-K through 6th grade. The majority of students are Hispanic, and a little less than a third of the student population are English language learners.

  • Grades: Pre-K–6
  • School size/enrollment: 1,625
  • Race/Ethnicity: 88% Hispanic
  • English language learners: 31.4%
  • Poverty and economic need: 86.5%
  • Borough: Bronx
Pathway to Schoolwide Integration

School coaches and PD providers were responsible for integrating CT within the existing curriculum.

Year 1 activities included the following:

  • All teachers in all grades implemented three CT tasks per month: two tasks in math and one in ELA.
  • CT integration into daily math curriculum lessons commenced in the kindergarten and 2nd grade classrooms, while 1st and 3rd grade teachers received computer science PD (CSPD).

Year 2 activities included the following:

  • Teachers for kindergarten and grades 2, 4, and 5 received CSPD.
  • CT integration efforts into the math curricula for grades K–5 began.
  • The school created the role of the CS/CT teacher leader by appointing a CT Team composed of 10 teachers across different grade levels.
  • Vision of schoolwide integration developed by: School administrative team
  • Content areas: Primarily ELA and math
  • Grade levels: All grade levels in the school
Lesson and Assessment Practices

The PD provider, in-school coaches, and administration developed monthly ELA and math CT unplugged tasks across all grades to provide students with repeated opportunities to apply CT to content area work. In addition, CT was integrated into the existing math curricula.

  • Lesson development: Initially by school coaches, administrators, and PD providers, then later by teachers
  • Primary instructional approaches used in lessons: Using academic language, encouraging students to persevere, and using computational tools and technology
  • Primary assessment practices used: Exit tickets, student reflection, and CT vocabulary
Structures for Sustainability

The CT alignment with areas that the school has already prioritized (math and ELA) ensures consistency in teaching students to apply CT in content areas. Additionally, having the teacher coaches and administrators be part of the leadership team allows for the schoolwide involvement and emphasis. In addition, professional learning time throughout both Year 1 and Year 2 across all grades allowed all teachers in the school to continue gaining content knowledge and pedagogy in CT and CS.