WHERE DO YOU TEACH? WHAT SORT OF SCHOOL IS IT?
Conard High School, West Hartford, CT
Public HS
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED TEACHING COMPUTER SCIENCE?
I had a background in programming due to working at Raytheon as a Systems Engineer. I learned C++ and Matlab on-the-job. In addition, while growing up, I played with Basic Programming on a Commodore Computer that my Aunt gave to me. The programs arrived in Ranger Rick Magazines and I would save them onto a tape. I used Basic to make shapes and later, in high school to program my graphing calculator. I never saw these things (playing on the Commodore or programming my calculator) as "computer science". I did not get the connection until I worked at Raytheon.
My certification is in teaching math. I guess I started teaching CS when I helped students see how to program their calculator in math courses.
My official start teaching computer science coursework was about 5 years ago at Conard when my supervisor and I agreed AP CS A would be helpful to our students to become better problem solvers. So we started AP CS A in Fall 2012. I was trained by Stevie Lord at Taft; two years in a row (Summer 2011, 2012). Then I got involved as an AP CS Principles Pilot Teacher in Summer 2013. This meant I received a lot of great training from College Board and many great CS Teachers from across the US and contributed to training for other teachers for College Board to support implementation of this course. I did not hear about the CSTA until the College Board Conference. I joined while at that conference in Summer 2013 and this gave me a network of CS teachers close to home. At Conard, we started offering CS Principles as a course in Fall 2014.
DESCRIBE THE COMPUTER SCIENCE CURRICULUM AT YOUR SCHOOL. WHAT COURSES DO YOU HAVE AND WHAT ARE THE FOCUSES OF EACH?
We have courses in computer science listed on page 22 here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9qL2-maX-Q0R2NGUWVUcDJKd3U3bTJRWDdjOFctd2Z2eWNZ/view
CS Courses are offered in our Math Department and in the Technology/Engineering Department. Computer Science Courses are assigned STEM Credit.
WHAT IS YOUR OVERALL TEACHING PHILOSOPHY? PROJECT BASED LEARNING? FLIPPED CLASSROOM? IN SHORT, WHAT MAKES YOUR CS PROGRAM “YOUR CS PROGRAM?”
My philosophy is to continue to love to learn with my students so I can help them to do the same to the best of my ability. What works each year depends on my students. Sometimes I create videos or "flip" the class, but that does not always work. Sometimes I create a great project as a way to help them to learn. For it to work, the project needs to be a good fit. Sometimes I lecture and/or drill a concept for them to help them become more fluent. It really depends on the students, the class, and what is working. My favorite thing to do is to help students do something with what they just learned.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN TEACHING CS AT YOUR SCHOOL?
The biggest challenge is to be sure that people understand what Computer Science is so that students understand the courses that they are signing up to take and how these courses are related to their future. Computer Science is interesting, accessible to all, and fun. However, when you really start tracing code or understanding programming languages, it is not easy. Helping students to see joy in this struggle is the key. We continue to use the Hour of Code and rely on the support of many adults in our large school to help all students realize this and sign up for computer science coursework. We have several amazing teachers, interesting courses and many great clubs, all to provide different access points for our students. The more ways students can see how they are connected to computer science and the more adults that are working together with this goal in mind, the more likely it is that they will sign up and love it!
WHAT IS ADMINISTRATION’S SUPPORT (OR LACK OF SUPPORT) LIKE AT YOUR SCHOOL?
Administration in West Hartford Public Schools is extremely supportive. The number of Computer Science teachers in our school has increased with student demand. We have teachers in our math department and our technology and engineering department working toward helping students learn computer science. For us to attend training, have time and space to run the Hour of Code, manage and be supported for Clubs related to CS, and continue to offer interesting and fun courses that appeal to our students, we have needed and enjoyed their support. Without it, we would not have been able to develop and sustain our growth.
HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS FOR YOUR PROGRAM? FOR YOUR STUDENTS?
Success is measured by the extent to which students feel supported and challenged while they are here and are able to graduate and be successful at college and career pursuits. My number one goal is to help students realize that they are in control of their lives and that their most important tool is knowledge.
YOU TEACH ADVANCED PLACEMENT WORKSHOPS AND SUMMER INSTITUTES FOR TEACHERS. WHAT’S INVOLVED IN THAT AND HOW DID YOU GET STARTED?
As a pilot teacher, I was asked to teach for AP CS Principles. I graded the Performance Tasks for ETS in June 2016 and June 2017 to continue to be sure I have the information teachers need to support their students.
To become an institute teacher, I recommend that teachers participate in the grading. From there, you will develop experience with the course that could lead to having opportunities to teach.
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE (IF ANY)
- Twitter: @mrscorricelli
- Blog: www.corricelli.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacqueline-corricelli-918663145/
- Book: https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Science-Principles-Advanced-Placement/dp/0738612340/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1507205695&sr=8-1&keywords=jacqueline+corricelli
Note: The index for this interview series is at http://blog.acthompson.net/2017/10/computer-science-educator-interview.html and is updated as new interviews are posted.
No comments:
Post a Comment