Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini, and Claude are transforming instructional design, yet most PK–12 educators lack effective strategies for engaging with them. To address this gap, we developed the CRAFT framework—a teacher-centered model for GenAI prompt design that emphasizes Context, Role, Audience, Format, and Tone. CRAFT translates principles from prompt engineering, instructional design, and Universal Design for Learning into a practical structure aligned with teachers' professional planning language. We implemented the framework in a professional development program with 94 PK–6 teachers who used GenAI to create lessons integrating computational thinking. Their 688 prompts and AI-generated responses were coded across 30 analytical features representing critique, launch behaviors, refinements, and supplemental material generation. Findings suggest that CRAFT helped teachers produce standards-aligned, differentiated, and instructionally coherent lessons while increasing confidence, creativity, and reflective engagement with GenAI tools.

During the UnboxingCT project summer professional development, the Integrated CT Assessment was piloted with 72 elementary teachers. The assessment is based on computational thinking integration literature and asks teachers to identify different computational thinking concepts in content area scenarios. The assessment allowed us to identify which computational thinking concepts teachers were most familiar with prior to the professional development and assess changes in their understanding following the professional development. Our next step will be validation of the assessment with a larger group of teachers.

In this poster, we present our efforts to engage elementary teachers with learning trajectories as a tool for developing both their own and their students' comprehension of computational thinking (CT) and strategies for integrating CT learning in their classroom. Eleven teachers, who voluntarily joined a teacher professional development (PD) program to develop teacher leaders for CT integration in the elementary context, attended a one-day PD session aimed at reviewing their knowledge of CT, participating in CT-infused lessons, and engaging with CT learning trajectories. Over the next year, teachers will participate in monthly virtual PD to continue to grow both their CT content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge. Our goal is to develop these teachers as teacher leaders who will support others as they integrate CT. This poster will show our current progress on CT learning trajectories and teacher leaders' responses to the tool.

There is growing attention for developing professional learning experiences for content area teachers to infuse computational thinking (CT). However, there is little reporting on how teachers continue to implement the CT lessons once professional development (PD) is over. This study provides initial results on our efforts of building project sustainability through teacher autonomy in designing their own CT infusion projects or PDs for their schools. Our initial analysis indicates the need to continue to build teacher autonomy within the professional learning experiences for developing teacher confidence and sustainability of the project.

In 2018 and 2019, Infusing Computing offered face-to-face summer PD workshops to support middle and high school teachers in integrating computational thinking into their classrooms through week-long summer PD workshops and academic-year support. Due to COVID-19, 151 teachers attended the Summer 2020 PD workshops in a week-long virtual conference format. In this paper, we describe Virtual Pivot: Infusing Computing, which employed emerging technology tools, pre-PD training, synchronous and asynchronous sessions, Snap! pair programming, live support, and live networking. Drawing on findings from participant interviews and post-PD surveys, we argue that three categories of changes (digital tools, formats, and supports for teacher engagement and collaboration) were effective in increasing participants' self-efficacy in teaching CT, supporting collaboration, and enabling participants to design CT-infused content-area lessons. We conclude by discussing how elements of this virtual PD can be replicated to increase teacher and student access to CT practices in middle and high school classrooms

Despite the increasing attention to infusing CT into middle and high school content area classrooms, there is a lack of information about the most effective practices and models to support teachers in their efforts to integrate disciplinary content and CT principles. To address this need, this paper proposes the Code, Connect and Create (3C) professional development (PD) model, which was designed to support middle and high school content area teachers in infusing computational thinking into their classrooms. To evaluate the model, we analyzed quantitative and qualitative data collected from Infusing Computing PD workshops designed for in-service science, math, English language arts, and social studies teachers located in two Southeastern states. Drawing on findings from our analysis of teacher-created learning segments, surveys, and interviews, we argue that the 3C professional development model supported shifts in teacher understandings of the role of computational thinking in content area classrooms, as well as their self-efficacy and beliefs regarding CT integration into disciplinary content. We conclude by offering implications for the use of this model to increase teacher and student access to computational thinking practices in middle and high school classrooms.

In summer 2018, we conducted two week-long professional development workshops for 116 middle and high school teachers interested in infusing computational thinking (CT) into their classrooms. Teachers learned to program in Snap!, connect CT to their disciplines, and create infused CT learning segments for their classes. This paper investigates the extent to which teachers were able to successfully infuse CT skills of pattern recognition, abstraction, decomposition, and algorithms into their learning products.

One way to increase access to education on computing is to integrate computational thinking (CT) into K12 disciplinary courses. However, this challenges teachers to both learn CT and decide how to best integrate CT into their classes. In this position paper, we present PRADA, an acronym for Pattern Recognition, Abstraction, Decomposition, and Algorithms, as a practical and understandable way of introducing the core ideas of CT to non-computing teachers. We piloted the PRADA model in two, separate, week-long professional development workshops designed for in-service middle and high school teachers and found that the PRADA model supported teachers in making connections between CT and their current course material. Initial findings, which emerged from the analysis of teacher-created learning materials, survey responses, and focus group interviews, indicate that the PRADA model supported core content teachers in successfully infusing CT into their existing curricula and increased their self-efficacy in CT integration.