Educational Leadership - February 2011

neighbor hoods, analyze existing options
tomakerecyclingcollectionmorewide-
spreadandsuccessful,andestimate
possiblesavingsifthesechangeswere
implemented.
Sciencecourse,wehavefoundthat
teenagerswhoneverwouldhave
thoughtofthemselvesascomputer
typesbecamefascinatedbycomputer
science.Juan,anonnativeEnglish
speaker,gotsohookedonthepro-
gramminglanguageScratchthatnow
whenheplaysvideogames,henotices
programmingelements—“oh,that’s
aforeverloop.”Juanwantstotake
AdvancedPlacementComputerScience,
andtheeffectoftakingExploringCom-
puterSciencehascarriedovertoother
disciplines.“IfIcandoECS,thenIcan
dochemistrytoo,”hesaid.

Having a beyond-basic knowledge
of computers connects a student

to a grid of opportunities.
Breaking Stereotypes

Giventhelownumbersofgirlsandstu-
dentsofcolorstudyingcomputerscience
acrosstheUnitedStates(Zweben,
2006),we’vemadeapointofpresenting
diverserolemodels.Thispastspring,
ourpartnershipbroughtmorethan500
ExploringComputerSciencestudents,
teachers,parents,andstaffmembers
fromLosAngelesschoolstoUCLA.The
highlightofthedaywasapresentation
fromthevisitingall-femaleAfrican
AmericanSpelmanCollegeRobotics
Team.TheSpelbotssharedtheirper-
sonalstorieswhilemodelinghowthey
programmedaNaorobottouseits
motors,cameras,andsensorstorespond
tovoicecommands,playsoccer,and
dancetoapopularsong.Studentscom-
mentedabouthowmuchtheylearned
aboutroboticsandhowmuchthey
appreciatedseeingyoungblackwomen
involvedinthisfield.Onestudent
noted,“Spelbotsteammemberscon-
tradictedcommonstereotypes,[which]
motivatedmetowanttolearncomputer
sciencenomatterwhatotherssay.”
Nancy,aLatinahighschooljunior,
hadnevertakenacomputerscience
class;herfriendsteasedherabouther
“Neanderthal”levelofskillwithcom-
puters.AftertakingExploringCom-
puterScience,Nancywantstotake
APComputerSciencenextyear.Our
surveysshowedthat,overall,students’
interestandengagementwithcomputer
sciencesignificantlyincreased,and
teachersindicatedthatstudentswere
morepreparedforadvancedcomputer
sciencesclassesaftertakingthecourse.

FortheLosAngelesteachers,we’ve developedasummerinstitutefocused oncoursecontentandpedagogy. Inquiry-focusedinstructionismodeled throughrole-playing,pairandsmall-groupcollaboration,structuredtin-kering,simulations,andthepromotion ofthebeliefthatthereismorethan onewaytosolveaproblem.During theacademicyear,weholdfollow-up Saturdaysessions.Thisongoingprofes-sionaldevelopmentgivesteachersa regularchancetocometogetherwith fellowteachersanduniversityeducators toreflectontheirteachingexperiences, prepareforthebreadthofcontent involvedinteachingcomputerscience, andbuildalearning community.

Wediscoveredthatin-classroom follow-upisalsonecessary,sowe createdacoachingprogram.Coaches andteachersdesignacollaborativeplan thatidentifiesgoalsforhowteachers wanttoimprove,successindicators, andstrategiestoachievethosegoals— suchascoteachingandvideotaping one’sownpractice.Wecurrentlyhave twofull-timecomputersciencecoaches servingabouteightschoolseach.The frequencyoftheirvisitsvariesaccording toteacherinterestandavailability, rangingfromweeklywithsometeachers toquarterlywithothers.Coachesmodel lessonsaswellasguideteachersin answeringstudentquestionsthatthey hadstruggledtoanswer.

Helping Teachers Make the Shift Acrucialpartofbuildingcapacityfor computerscienceinstructionispro-vidingprofessionaldevelopmentand supportforteachers.Inadditiontoan innovativecurriculum,teachersmust haveextensivecontentknowledgeand practicewithpedagogythatengagesstu-dents.Becausemanycomputerteachers areusedtomoretraditionalinstruction methods(andareteachingoutof subject),abigshiftisrequiredtoteacha hands-onproject-basedcurriculumlike ExploringComputerScience.

Taking It National Exploring Computer Science is now expandingthroughoutLosAngeles andCalifornia;theOaklandandSan Joseschooldistrictsplantoofferit soon.AcrosstheUnitedStates,efforts toincreasecomputersciencelearning opportunitiesattheK– 12levelarealso beingspearheadedbytheNational ScienceFoundation’s(NSF)Broadening ParticipationinComputingprogram, theComputerScienceTeachersAsso-ciation,theAssociationofComputing Machinery,andtheNationalCenterfor Womenin Technology.