By Sharisa Chan
I wish everyone could see what I see when students dive into computer science: eyes lighting up, hands flying across keyboards, kids huddled together solving problems, laughter, and plenty of questions!
Back when I was an elementary school teacher—and later a county administrator—I often thought about what I wished my own administrators had known while I was teaching computer science (CS) education across the curriculum. The truth? CS wasn’t just another subject. It was a spark. When I integrated into other academic areas, it lit up my classroom and transformed how students learned everything! I saw them grow, not just academically, but also emotionally, socially, and behaviorally. The connections were undeniable.
Now that I’ve sat on both sides of the table—as a teacher and an administrator—I know how much of a difference it can make when school leaders truly appreciate the power of CS. When they support it, incredible things happen. Teachers feel empowered, students thrive, and learning takes off.
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Computer Science Integration and Academic Success
I first began my computer science journey when one of the district teachers on special assignment at my school asked me if my first-grade class would participate in the district-wide Hour of Code challenge. At that point I had been teaching for over a decade, and the thought of engaging my students in a subject I knew nothing about was frightening. But in the face of that fear, I reminded myself of something I often said to my students: all things can be learned through practice.
With great hesitation, I ultimately decided to take the leap and try something new. Today, I can say with full confidence that it was one of the best decisions I have ever made over the course of my teaching career.
My students ended up loving the experience and were chomping at the bit for more! They were interested in trying some of the other activities that were featured on the Hour of Code landing page, so we started exploring those together. Often we would face off in teacher-student challenges; they usually won. This eventually led us to Code.org, which had activities that were better-aligned with other skills we were practicing in class.
I can recall several instances when students requested to work on programming exercises after completing their other assignments. One time, a few of them even asked to stay in for recess in order to complete a coding challenge. They seemed to have no fear.
I was determined to find a way to fit even more computer science in the school day, this time by adding it into my students’ core academic learning time. One way I did so was by utilizing the concept of sequencing—an important skill for first-grade reading comprehension, writing, and math. When using the Hour of Code and Code.org platforms, students had to think about how to come up with the correct sequence to run a successful program. In the same way that they could articulate why they had developed the program the way they did through each step of code, students began to understand how to use sequencing to retell a story.
Over the next few years, I taught students in grades 1, 3, and 4, and was able to integrate CS learning experiences into the core academic areas for all of them. It was a game changer! My students were excelling much faster than usual.
This process went mostly unsupported by my administrators, simply because CS education was so new at the time. I didn’t blame them for that; it was all new to me too. I did try to explain to them and to my grade level team the importance of CS, and to help them see what I was seeing—more engaged students—but I’m not sure how clearly that came across. At least, until it was time for trimester assessments, and my students were showing growth that was hard to believe.
Students who had previously been held back grew multiple grade levels in reading, writing, and math. Those with learning disabilities showed great improvement. English as a second language learners were speaking more and developing a deeper understanding of the content.
When asked by my administrators what I did differently, I shared that I was taking an integrated approach across all academic disciplines and including components of CS. After that, administrators started popping into my classroom more frequently to learn from and speak with my students. Suddenly they were keen to support learning that may have looked non-traditional to them.
Something else changed as a result of my CS implementation too. In the past, I was occasionally told to have specific students in my classroom—students with behavioral and social emotional issues—because I knew how to best support them. This happened more often once I began integrating CS into the academic subjects.
No one ever asked why or how my students were coping better, doing their work, and getting more excited to come to school, even though many of them had previously been on educational, behavioral, or chronic absenteeism support plans. All of a sudden, these students were thrilled to collaborate with their classmates on computer science projects that contained components of reading, writing, mathematics, and science. Integrating computer science led to my students showing up and taking ownership of their learning.
With Support Comes Great Change
Administrators play a major role in the success of the teachers and students who stand to benefit from computer science education. When properly supported, a teacher and class will thrive. Students love seeing school administrators invested in their learning. Educators appreciate when administrators take the time to really understand what they’re doing, especially if it involves integrating something that may be relatively new for them.
If I could go back in time and speak with my administrators again, I would ask them to provide more support for me as I implemented components of CS in my classroom.
Teachers, here’s what you should be asking of your administrators today:
- Support teachers to attend professional development opportunities that focus on computer science education (e.g. Seasons of CS), and engage in conversations around what they have learned at these sessions.
- Align standards with core academic disciplines.
- Visit a classroom to see what the students are learning. Even when it may look like they are just playing, simple conversations with the students can allow for new learning and better understanding.
- Pay attention to the behavioral and academic progress of students who are engaging in CS learning experiences.
- Familiarize yourself with the CS teacher and student standards.
- Connect with students and families to gain out-of-school support.
- Remember that this may be new for the teacher too. Their bravery to teach CS concepts is commendable.
By bringing CS to the classroom, we can encourage young computer scientists and engineers, and create more informed digital citizens. It’s never too late to ask administrators for support in this process. Let them be your advocate, cheerleader, and coach as you work together to shape the next generation of learners.
From serving as a classroom educator to championing computer science at the district and county level, Sharisa Chan brings a wealth of experience to her CS education advocacy. She currently works as the Associate Director of Curriculum, Instruction, and Professional Development at UCLA’s Center X, where she will continue to drive research around equity-minded professional development in CS education.
