....finding the integration between Math, Science and Computer Science

This fall, staff members from 5 different local school districts and the Trinity County Office of Education, dove into a day-long session focusing on C-STEM, the linkage between Math, Science and Computer Science. Based on an initial assessment conducted last school year that included interviews with teachers and administrators, this professional development was funded by a grant from the Cal MSCS program.  

C-STEM curriculum utilizes robotics and coding as a way to deliver and reinforce math skills from basic concepts to very advanced.  The successful grant application was able to provide instruction to over 20 local staff members this fall in the first course of five to be offered.  Developed at University of California Davis, the C-STEM program is the brainchild of Harry H. Cheng, Ph.D, the UC Davis Director of the Center for Integrated Computing and STEM Education (C-STEM).  

“We are very excited to partner with the Trinity County Office of Education to bring hands-on math learning through coding and robotics to K-12 students in small and very small school districts across this rural mountain region,” said Chen,”Through this course, teachers gained valuable insights into computer science principles, best practices, and methods for integrating coding and robotics into math instruction.”

Participating teachers and staff members were effusive about the experience.

Carly Miller, TK-1 Teacher:
"Exciting ways to get students more engaged in math and engineering projects with robots, and ways to get them collaborating on a whole-school level."

Bethany Cantrell, TK-K Teacher:
"I loved the robotics portion of the class. I think the kiddos will really enjoy being a part of building robots that can move and do cool things."

Dustin Sheetz, Grade 6-8 Math, Science, and Social Science Teacher:
"I liked the hands-on activities. Can't wait to use the curriculum."

Amy Raschein, Grade 6-11 Tech, English, and Art Teacher:
"Everything was very user-friendly and easy to use. I teach a robotics class, so I'm really excited to bring it to that class. It was so interactive and excited me, so I know it will excite my kids, too. Great job!"

Candice Gilbreath, Grade K-9 Science, English, Multiple Subjects Teacher:
"I learned that the program has lessons that align with my classroom curriculum which will help provide concrete modeling to an otherwise abstract idea. Seeing the bot in action when solving a division problem that not only helped with directionality but also conceptualizing remainders."

For participants who make their way through the entire series, there is also the opportunity to earn a computer science authorization credential for those who already hold a single-subject credential..  

While many individual school districts across the state are utilizing this program, Trinity County is the first county in California to deliver this opportunity on a countywide level.

TCOE Instructional Support Specialists, Joanne Tucker and Megan Rourke, also received significant praise from Dr. Chen, who was impressed by the “leadership in providing this professional development opportunity to such a large group of teachers in rural mountain areas.”

Future courses are planned for the upcoming calendar year, starting in early January.