The Allen School is gearing up for its annual CS4HS workshop for K-12 teachers taking place July 16 – 18 on the University of Washington campus in Seattle. CS4HS offers educators from across Washington an opportunity to explore computer science — no prior programming experience required — along with tips for incorporating CS principles into their classroom teaching. While the curriculum originally was designed with math and science teachers in mind, the Allen School welcomes teachers of all subjects who are interested in learning how to use computer science to enhance student learning.
Workshop participants will become familiar with simple concepts and activities that can be adapted to suit many different course subjects and grade levels. These include computational thinking, user-centered design, and basic coding using popular visual programming languages such as Scratch and Processing. Presenters will also share useful information about academic and career pathways that teachers can take back to their classrooms. Upon completion of CS4HS, participants will have access to free tools to help nurture students’ creativity while exposing them to the fundamentals of this exciting subject.
CS4HS is a joint undertaking of UW, Carnegie Mellon University, and CS Unplugged. Since 2007, more than 600 teachers from around the state have participated in the UW-hosted workshop. Past participants have delivered rave reviews about the content, the speakers — even the food — that they encountered over the course of the three days.
“I attended the CS4HS summer workshop at the UW and was absolutely thrilled by the quality of the presentations, the breadth of material we covered and the quantity of classroom-ready material we received,” said CS4HS alumnus Judson Miller, a teacher at Roosevelt High School in Seattle. “As a high school math teacher, I was curious and excited to learn how this workshop on computer science might prove useful in my class. In the end, I can say absolutely that this workshop changed my teaching.”
There is a non-refundable registration fee of $50 for each participating teacher. Eligible teachers earn 20 clock hours of professional development credit from the Washington Science Teachers Association at no cost to them. For out-of-town participants, free accommodation in UW campus housing is available with a refundable security deposit.
To learn more and to join us at this year’s workshop, visit the CS4HS website.