Implementing a Professional Development Framework to Assist the Rollout of Computer Science in Second-Level Schools in Ireland

This chapter describes the rollout of a computer science (CS) subject in secondary schools in the republic of Ireland and details the professional development framework implemented to support its rollout. A central component of this framework is the establishment of teachers’ communities of practice. Examining the professional development of out-of-field CS teachers through the lens of subject identity using social identity theory (SIT), the chapter questions whether such communities of practice can be readily established. In addition, it also questions the assumptions regarding the homogeneity of out-of-field CS teachers and their motivations for adopting the subject. The implications of viewing the professional development of out-of-field teachers as an identity project is subsequently examined.