Here is the schedule: 8:00 Breakfast & Sign-In 8:30 Welcome 8:45 SciGirls Code: Strategies to Enage Girls (and All Kids) in STEM - Tricia Berry @STEMtricia triciaberry@txgcp.org 10:30 Break 10:45 Hands-on Workshop: Revising CS Course Descriptions - Carol Fletcher 11:30 Share out Course Description Revisions - Joshua Childs 12:00 Lunch 1:00 Small Group Online Course Debrief - Kate Woodward Young 1:45 Break 2:00 Lesson Planning with Equity in Mind - Joshua Childs 3:15 Logistics for Spring and Summer - Ryan Torbey 3:45 Wrap Up - Carol Fletcher 4:00 Adjourn

8:30 SciGirls Code:

  • WEP
  • Texas Girls Collaborative Project
  • Regional STEM Google group? www.txgcp.org

SciGirls is from PBS - can find online/PBS channel

  • give online content to elementary school/middle school CS club leaders and ask them to share with their students
  • geared towards upper elementary to middle school
  1. Foster girls’ STEM identity
  2. STEM for All Learning Environment: how do you make students feel like STEM is for them no matter their interests?
  3. Culturally Responsive Teaching: their prior knowledge, experiences, their performance styles

SciGirls Strategies:

  1. Connect STEM experiences to girls’ lives My Question: What’s different between boys’ girls’ lives? Besides things such as those relating to the body. Period tracker apps. Another person says connecting tech with students’ lives. But how is that specifically girls’ lives? I think in this context, the speaker really means “Connect STEM experiences to students’ lives”. It is just that we’re talking about SciGirls. Relate CMUCSAcademy giving students ability to make whatever they want. I really need to update my favorite projects list. (Incorporate for loop, incorporate this, done). Apply using a 2D array in everyday life - I give examples of picture manipulation and of theater booking seats, things students possibly make is games (tic-tac-toe, magic box, battleship, minesweeper), GUI of colors (taking care of a tamagotchi pet with input options), but how could they make it relate to their life?
  2. Support girls as they investigate questions and solve problems using STEM practices. I think STEM practices is comprised of design constraints, asking questions to clarify, using resources, prototyping & revision & iteration, making changes and being wrong is okay, working in a team. Productive vs non-productive questions (I don’t know what to do. Can you help?) Don’t allow use of pronouns (I don’t get this. What is this?)
  3. Empower girls to embrace struggle, overcome challenges, and increase self-confidence in STEM. Quiz re-take policy, really helps students feel it is okay to not do so well at times - but rather to learn from it, retake the quiz, and do better. The important part is to learn from it. “Certificate to fail” “Who here is a computer scientist? No one? I didn’t think so. You’re not a professional; you are learning; you are a student.” Share with students our own struggles. Share with them my code.
  4. Encourage girls to identify and challenge STEM stereotypes. “Men naturally pay high-paying doctor, laywer, CEO jobs. Women naturally pay low-paying doctor, lawyer, cEO jobs” picture/meme. Concept of what a computer programmer is. Personal example of me as a computer scientist. Code.org has a recruitment video showing what computer scientists do during the day. Nobody works alone - it’s all teams. Ask friends to be role-models. Share the data.
  5. Emphasize that STEM is collaborative, social, and community-oriented. How do I rewrite course descriptions to include these descriptors to draw students in? STEM community night. Setup a mentorship? Think about logistics.
    AP CollegeBoard with WE
  6. Provide opportunities for girls to interact with and learn from diverse STEM role models. References: Why So Few? Book, Changing the Conversation: Messages for Improving Public Understanding of Engineering, Techbridge (Role Model toolkit) Role models are important to counter stereotypes.

**Use images of people, not things; especially avoid using gears and mechanical looking things **Use the word create, not build (Build: follow the instructions, complete to make the solution. Create: many ways, freedom, make something new and personal) **All of these things can replace girls with “students”. **Create a standard guide document for industry volunteers coming in. Tell them the PURPOSE of them coming in. TexasStemConnections Techbridge Role Models Matter Toolkit FabFems Website Audience: Role Models, Girl-Serving Programs, Parents, Girls SciGirls Includes bilingual resources

10:45 Revising Course Descriptions AP CS Principles

1:00 Small Group Online Course Debrief In the next week I take this step: Email updated flyers to middle school counselors.

In the next month I will take these two steps: 1) Continue follow up with elementary/middle schools. 2) Encourage students to sign up for my classes/encourage friend.

In the next 3 months I will take these five steps: 1) Show appreciation for elementary/middle school teachers working with me this year to bring CS to their schools. 2) Showcase students in CS courses graduating and what they are studying. 3) Plan for next year. 4) Build community/reach out to NASA and Ellington. 5) Make concrete plans for industry people to speak in my class.

Over the next year, I will take the next ten steps: 1) Conduct research on other school districts/schools and their course offerings. 2) Make a slide deck to compare our school district and others and show results. 3) Include on slide deck research of importance of CS education and how it is fundamental. 4) Include research from research institutions on what content should be taught in each level of computer science. 5) Include research on my personal recommendation and alternatives for our course offerings. 6) Submit slides for CS teachers and district head to review over summer before we meet. 7) Meet and discuss and answer questions. 8) Get school to do Hour of Code. 9) Continue follow-up with and revise EPG to reflect new offerings. 10) Have community STEM nights at my school.

The barriers/obstacles I may face include… other CTE pushback, other Comp Sci teachers pushback.

See Module 4 Advocacy Action Plan

2:00 Lesson Planning https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/TXTEA/bulletins/2762d58 Some other resources I downloaded for research. Have students write a course description for the class. In class making something they have to promote CS with and share it as homework.

3:15 Summer Logistics