Written by 
Yup…I just made a Sherlock Holmes reference (S2, E2). It was only a matter of time, considering my unhealthy obsession with the show.
Now bear with me…my mind is making a connection here.
Since my last post (too long ago), I have had a good run with promoting computer science with our students.
- We had a panel of female new media artists & developers from Girls Learning Code in to speak to our middle school students. It was a great presentation and started a lot of great conversations with our students about opportunities in the industry.
- We had course selection presentations for Grade 8 students (selecting Gd 9 courses), where we snazzed up and revamped the computer science course. Great interest from students (AND parents!) about the program. We’ll see if it translates to actual course selection.
- We had a great experience with our innovation club at the FIRST competition in November. No wins but such a great team-building experience for us, and allowed me to think about how we can build the program for next year.
- I had a coding competition for the Hour of Code with a number of middle school students. Despite my smack talk, they obliterated me and far surpassed my capabilities. That was kind of the point anyways. 🙂
Here is what I’m thinking of pursuing further…
- Gathering data on the progression of students who have taken computer science at Branksome. What did they take in subsequent years? What did this lead to in post-secondary education?
- Gathering data on BH alum who are currently working in the technology industry. What was their career & education path (both within BH and post-secondary).
- Conduct a survey of current Grade 8 students and their perception of computer science (I teach all of the Grade 8’s drama…so I can easily gather this data with them in class).
- Have conversations with our math & science departments to brainstorm ways we can cross-promote STEM careers in our classes.
- Analyze all of this data to determine where we are succeeding in getting girls into the tech industry, and where we can still improve.
- Research post-secondary computer science programs and their admission requirements. Perhaps present this to our senior school guidance department.
Hi Erin,
This action plan looks very important for both you, your school – and also your students. I really like the way you’ve structured it, but also provided a really important purpose behind this work. I think that one of your first steps could be in getting the STEM teachers on board, and having them devote some time in their classes to help you gather the data. This could be done through simple exit card/surveys, and you could leverage technology to help with collecting and presenting this data (google forms, survey monkey, etc…). Then you could try to do the same thing with the Alumni association – though they are harder to pin down.
The other place that I would steer you would be to your CIVICS/CAREERS teachers, and try to get them on board as well.
I look forward to chatting more about this with you.
Best,
garth.
I can pretty much testify that since this post, Erin, you have made tremendous progress in following your action plan with …action! The promotion of STEM has never been so vibrant at BH and with the help of other avid faculty-members, the STEM assembly has made an indelible effect on the school’s culture.
Observing things from a curricular point of view, I do agree with Garth in that some teachers need to be conveyed to become more proactive in not only gathering data but also taking ownership in the whole process (I am particularly thinking of teachers who were devastated by the loss of CS over the last couple of years).
I also admire your smooth approach in getting things done with the administration… a skill much needed nowadays!
I’d like to suggest that in your promotion of tech-oriented careers, you could have a more integrated and diversified approach: building on the Lindsay (the alum)’s example who studied science for more than 12 years, earning her PhD and then steering her career towards Data Science (a field that deserves further exploration); stories like these can help identify bridges between disciplines and the unequivocal role of technology in moving forward.
Best wishes !
Mehdi
Curriculum Coordinator & Math teacher @BH