Document Type

Conference Paper

Publication Date

3-2019

Publication Title

Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference

Pages

1600-1605

Abstract

Elementary schools are increasingly encouraged to adopt STEM education efforts that include engineering and programming, yet pre-service teachers (PSTs) are not traditionally prepared to teach these subjects. This pilot study describes an innovative preparation experience designed to help PSTs gain experience and confidence in these areas. As part of an undergraduate educational technology course, PSTs led an after-school technology club at a local public school. PSTs enrolled in the course worked alongside fifth and sixth grade students on a series of collaborative design challenges that culminated in the creation of animal-inspired robots. The “WoW Club”, as it came to be known, introduced both student populations to engineering, coding, and robotics, while allowing them to interact and develop skills in a low-stakes environment. The approach was found to have a positive impact on PSTs’ engineering self-efficacy and coding self-efficacy.

Comments

© 2019 Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE) Reprinted with permission of AACE (http://www.aace.org)

ORCID

0000-0002-8933-0174 (Rippard)

Original Publication Citation

Kidd, J., Sacks, S., Kaipa, K. & Rippard, K. (2019). 5th/6th graders and preservice teachers explore engineering and coding in a combined after-school technology club/educational technology course. In K. Graziano (Ed.), Proceedings of the Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 1600-1605). Las Vegas, NV, United States: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/207858/.

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