Establish local professional learning hubs for teachers to meet with their peers twice a semester and work together to test out CS lessons.
Rotate elbow partners so students get the opportunity to work with many classmates, which helps create community and trust in the classroom.
Ask students to consider which objects in the room are computers to further their understanding of what computing is. Use the phrasing "What different Computers do you see".
Connect class work to the CS industry by incorporating these five big picture professional skills in your class objectives.
Invite research teams from local universities to motivate your students by presenting their research.
Center field trips around personalized student experiences to increase the impact of these trips and give students exposure to informational interviews.
Assign students specific roles that rotate frequently when they are working in groups to promote interdependence and ensure that each student gets practice in each role.
Teach students to combine critical-thinking skills and smart-searching techniques so they can produce relevant Internet search results.
Put open-ended questions at the end of a set of group discussion questions so groups have a lot to discuss.
To engage a wider range of students in intro courses, be sure to highlight the real-world context and applications of CS.
Specify how students can respectfully disagree with you to let them know you are interested in their opinion and to create a better learning environment where students feel free to express themselves.
Pass out the grading rubric when you share the class assignments so students understand how they will be assessed.
Show students the diverse set of people who hold CS careers. Make sure it’s clear that there is no one person, or one personality that exemplifies the field.
Ask students what they like about programming—it lets you know what to focus on so that students remain interested.