What We Do

Computer Science Teaching and Learning (CST&L) designs effective curricula to improve teaching and increase learning. Each curriculum includes an electronic, customizable textbook, flash animations, concept maps, classroom posters, and software learning tools. Our research-based designs ensure that every CST&L curriculum presents the material of computer science in short, focused units that always clarify the complex.

The Challenges of Teaching and Learning Computer Science

Our fundamental goal is to help and support computer science teachers. Teaching computer science is fun, but it's also challenging for many reasons. Some are historical and logistical:

1
the field is young, and widely accepted standards for learning goals, content, methodology and assessment have not yet emerged
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unlike math classes—where students are typically grouped by some measures of ability and background—computer science classes usually include students of widely varying aptitude and experience
3
computer science courses may be as short as a trimester, or as long as a year, and may meet as infrequently as once a week, or as often as five times per week

For those reasons, it's not possible to write a computer science textbook that meets the needs of most teachers. The result is that many computer science teachers spend much time cobbling together their own teaching materials and curricula, or using a text that isn't a very good fit with their needs.

Beginning computer science students also face some difficult learning challenges:

4
computer science students must learn to think algorithmically. Such thinking is new—and initially difficult—for most students
5
a large number of abstract concepts—and their interrelationships—must be fairly well understood to make sense of even the most basic computer programs
6
students must integrate abstract concepts and practical skills with precision, and pay closer attention to detail than they are accustomed to paying

Overcoming these obstacles requires very clear teaching materials, thoughtfully sequenced instruction, and accurate assessment of student progress. Well conceived and implemented computer software (as described below) can also help students overcome the challenges of learning computer science and software construction.

How CST&L Can Help

At CST&L we know that each student is unique, and that one size cannot fit all.