Day 1
01 Opener 02 Model 03 Break 04 Debugging 05 Equity 06 Lunch 07 Resources 08 Planning 09 Break 10 Barriers 11 End

Session 10: Addressing Implementation Barriers

40 minutes

discussion-based

Purpose

The purpose of this session is for participants to proactively prepare for implementing CS Fundamentals courses in their classrooms by addressing the most common implementation barriers for CS Fundamentals courses, as well as those they may encounter that might be unique to their contexts.

Objectives

  • Participants will brainstorm strategies for addressing the most common implementation barriers.
  • Participants will identify barriers in their classrooms, school, or teaching practice.
  • Participants will identify concrete and reasonable strategies to address the barriers they have the power to influence.

Supplies & Prep

Room Setup:

  • Poster: Space to fit the lesson in during the school day
  • Poster: Time to plan and prepare to teach the curriculum
  • Poster: Managing different courses and resources across multiple grades
  • Poster: Knowledge and understanding of computer science

  • Poster: Other implementation barriers

  • Participants split into four groups.

Facilitator Supplies:

Teacher Materials:

Agenda

Intro to Implementation Barriers (3 minutes)

Poster Activity (28 minutes)

Next Steps (9 minutes)

Facilitation Guide

Intro to Implementation Barriers (3 minutes)

(3 minutes) Context

Remarks

This session is an opportunity to proactively prepare strategies to address the most common CS Fundamentals implementation barriers participants reported to have encountered:

  • Space to fit the lesson in during the school day
  • Time to plan and prepare to teach the curriculum
  • Managing different CS Fundamentals courses and resources across multiple grades
  • Knowledge and understanding of computer science

As well as individual and unique barriers we may each face. Together we will brainstorm strategies to address these barriers as well as unique barriers we might each encounter individually. Then, we will share our next steps in bringing and teaching CS Fundamentals to all of our students.

Poster Activity (28 minutes)

(6 minutes) Small Group Discussions

Note: The poster labeled “Other Implementation Barriers” is not used at this time and will be used during “Other Implementation Barriers” after “Table Talk”.

  • Refer participants to the four posters on display in the room with different implementation barrier statements. Split participants into four groups, one group for each poster.

Facilitator Tip

Circulate between groups to provide participants with any support or answers to questions they may have during this time.

Share with participants they will be working in small groups to brainstorm possible solutions to address the most common implementation barriers written on their poster.

  • Roles for each person in the small group to take on: time keeper, writer, presenter, and discussion facilitator.

(9 minutes) Whole Group Share Out

After five minutes, invite the presenter from each group to summarize ideas and strategies written on the posters.

  • Provide opportunities for participants in other groups to ask questions and share additional strategies to be considered.
  • Invite the writer for the group that is presenting, to add on strategies from other participants to the poster.
  • Encourage participants to make notes and/or take a photo of a suggestion or strategy that resonates with them to refer to after the workshop.

(7 minutes) Table Talk

Have participants either go back to the tables they were sitting at or invite participants to sit with others they have not yet talked to during the workshop to form new table groups.

Facilitator Tip

Consider having an example ready or reference to a scenario from the Focus on Equity session for participants that may struggle with identifying additional implementation barriers. Some examples may include:

  • Lack of support from their other teachers at their school, administrators, or district
  • Understanding the Code.org teaching and learning tools
  • Understanding the course resources (lesson plans,etc)

(2 minutes) Participants individually identify any additional implementation barriers they might encounter.

  • Invite participants to write any additional implementation barriers on a sticky note and stick it to the poster labeled, “Other Implementation Barriers”.

(5 minutes) Participants share and discuss any additional implementation barriers they identified and wrote on the sticky note.

  • Encourage others at the table to provide suggestions or ideas to help address these additional implementation barriers and to write them on a sticky note. These sticky notes will be used during the "Other Implementation Barriers" activity.

Discussion Prompts:

  • Aside from the most common implementation barriers, what additional implementation barriers might you encounter when bringing CS Fundamentals courses back to your classroom?
  • What suggestions or ideas do you have to address these additional implementation barriers?

Note:

  • While participants respond to the discussion prompts, use that time to read, sort, and categorize the additional implementation barriers participants wrote on sticky notes and added to the “Other Implementation Barriers” poster.
  • Clear off the poster and set the categories of sticky notes off to the immediate side of the poster.
  • Have these categories ready in your mind to facilitate the “Other Implementation Barriers” activity.

(6 minutes) Other Implementation Barriers

  • Read a sticky note or summarize a category identified on the poster labeled, “Other Implementation Barriers”.
  • Invite participants to briefly share out what was discussed at their tables to arrive at a suggestion or strategy that addresses this category of challenges.
    • Either collect sticky notes with suggestions or strategies from participants to address the additional implementation barriers or invite participants to add these sticky notes directly to the poster “Other Implementation Barriers.”
  • Continue this process until all categories have been read and addressed.
  • At the end of the discussion, the poster labeled “Other Implementation Barriers” should have sticky notes with suggestions or strategies to address other implementation barriers discussed.
  • Encourage participants to make notes and/or take a photo of a suggestion or strategy that resonates with them to refer to after the workshop.

Next Steps (9 minutes)

(3 minutes) Reflection

Remarks

Let’s take some time to reflect on the day and think about what we each may need in order to move forward with bringing CS Fundamentals to all of our students in equitable ways. During this time, be as specific as possible to be able to walk away with clear steps you can take after the workshop. Identifying barriers and actively working to address them is the work needed in support of equity in CS.

Journal Prompt:

  • What barriers do you have the power to influence? What commitment are you ready to make in support of bringing CS Fundamentals to all of your students?

  • Be as specific as you can about your next steps that might include:

    • Requesting tech support or additional devices (access)
    • Changing classroom routines and procedures to make space for teaching CS Fundamentals to all students (access, diversity, inclusion)
    • Setting aside time to teach CS Fundamentals on a weekly, monthly, or quarterly basis
    • Collaborating with teachers, administrators or support staff
    • Other considerations not already listed

(4 minutes) Partner Talk

Participants each take two minutes to share their next steps with a partner.

  • Circulate the room to identify common ideas, strategies, or themes overheard to share during the “Summary”.

(2 minutes) Summary

Briefly share common ideas, strategies, or themes overheard from circulating the room during “Partner Talk”.

  • Invite participants to clarify as needed during the summary.