Professional Development with Elizabeth Bacon

Professional development for computer science education empowers teachers to learn the necessary skills to effectively teach computer science. In this episode, our guest Elizabeth Bacon, Director of Pedagogy at CoderZ, explores the complex world of professional development for CS education.

In this conversation, Elizabeth explains some of the strategies for developing effective professional development including relying on a balance of content and pedagogy. She discusses the importance of forging connections in community and the pros and cons of in-person versus online and on-demand professional development. For example, being in-person allows participants the chance to immerse themselves in a way that they’re not going to be able to do virtually. Furthermore, she discusses the importance of leveraging strengths and understanding the diversity of needs. In conclusion, Elizabeth shares her advice for developing professional development for computer science educators. She emphasizes the importance of using standards like the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA)’s Standards for CS Teachers, reaching out to local communities, and identifying learning objectives.

“The coolest thing ever is programming. And, you know, what's even cooler than programming is showing other people how cool it is to program.” - Elizabeth Bacon

Recommended Resources from the Interview

Unlocking the Clubhouse: Women in Computing by Jane Margolis and Allan Fisher

Stuck in the Shallow End: Education, Race, and Computing by Jane Margolis et al.

The Big Book of Computing Pedagogy by the Raspberry Pi Foundation

Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA)’s Standards for CS Teachers

CSTA Annual Conference

CSTA PD Opportunities

CSforALL

About Our Guest

Elizabeth Bacon is the Director of Pedagogy at CoderZ. Previously, she served as Curriculum Development Manager for Code.org’s CS Discoveries course. A former classroom teacher and school administrator, she has designed computer science courses for students from 5 to 18 years old and developed blended learning systems for students preparing to study in the United States. She is active in the computer science education community, volunteering directly with students in local schools and community centers, serving on advisory panels for computer science pathways in Seattle area school districts, and presenting workshops on various topics around teaching and learning computer science.