Guiding Students to Discover CS Concepts and Develop Process Skills using POGIL (Abstract Only)

This workshop is for anyone who teaches CS, and introduces process-oriented guided inquiry learning (POGIL) in computer science. In a POGIL classroom, teams of 3-5 learners work on activities with active facilitation by the teacher. Through scripted inquiry and investigation, learners discover concepts and construct their own knowledge. Using assigned team roles and other scaffolding, learners develop process skills and individual responsibility. In a POGIL classroom, the teacher is not a lecturer, but a facilitator who helps to ensure that all students are engaged and able to achieve the learning objectives. POGIL activities have a particular structure based on learning cycles. POGIL is a research-based instructional strategy, and studies show that it can significantly improve student performance. Workshop participants will work through POGIL activities as students. Participants will also work through meta-activities that use POGIL and are designed to help teachers learn core POGIL concepts, practices, and benefits. POGIL materials for a variety of CS concepts will be shared. More information is available at http://pogil.org and http://cspogil.org, including sample activities for CS1, CS2, and other courses. Laptops optional.