WeTeach_CS Summit 2026

To become successful software engineers, students need more than syntax mastery — they must be able to reason about their code, communicate their intent, and locate errors with confidence. This session introduces a pedagogical approach grounded in storytelling and self-explanation as cognitive tools for deepening program comprehension.

Participants will learn to teach coding through narrative thinking — framing programs as stories with characters (variables), settings (initial conditions), conflicts (bugs), and resolutions (outputs). Through interactive, hands-on activities, participants will explore how scaffolding a story for coding in their classrooms can foster metacognition, debugging skill, and engagement.

Many computer science teachers believe in the power of AI but feel unsure how to integrate it into instruction without losing clarity, rigor, or their own teaching voice. This interactive session introduces a classroom-tested, four-day instructional loop (Discover → Practice → Apply → Reflect) that provides a safe, repeatable structure for integrating AI into CS instruction. Participants will experience the loop as learners, explore how AI fits naturally within each phase, and build a mini lesson aligned to their own context. Attendees will leave with ready-to-use templates and strategies that help them confidently harness AI while preserving strong pedagogy and teacher identity.

Design AI policies that celebrate student agency instead of assuming the worst. This practical workshop helps educators move beyond detection anxiety to proactive approaches honoring learner judgment and ethical reasoning. Participants will analyze effective policy models from schools nationwide, experience firsthand how students navigate AI tools, and draft context-specific policies that trust student brilliance. Leave with research-backed templates, communication resources, and confidence to lead conversations that celebrate students as capable, thoughtful collaborators with emerging technologies.