Sheena is a wonderful innovative teacher who I have know for several years. We also served on the CSTA Board together. She works across grad levels (K-8) at a school district in California. She’s doing some very cool things. I am so grateful that she agreed to do this interview. I think you’ll find it interesting.
WHERE DO YOU TEACH? WHAT SORT OF SCHOOL IS IT?
I teach in the Los Altos School District, in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. It is a K-8 public school district with approximately 4500 students. We have seven elementary schools that are K-6, and two Jr High schools (grades 7 and 8).
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED TEACHING COMPUTER SCIENCE?
My background is in computer science. After working for several years in Silicon Valley, I decided to take a break and go to college to learn art. During that time, I had an opportunity to volunteer in the local art docent program, and discovered I loved teaching. I became the art teacher for one of the schools in the district and along with watercolor, clay etc, I showed the kids how to create on the computer . When the art teacher position went away, my administrator suggested I teach those digital art lessons across the district. I used Scratch programming as a tool for the art program in the district in 2009, just a couple of years after Scratch was launched. Later this digital art class was converted into a CS program for sixth graders, and then expanded to all other grades. Today, every child in the district learns computer science.
DESCRIBE THE COMPUTER SCIENCE CURRICULUM AT YOUR SCHOOL. WHAT COURSES DO YOU HAVE AND WHAT ARE THE FOCUSES OF EACH?
Currently I am the computer science integration specialist for the district. This means that besides teaching I work on curriculum, PD and integration across the district. Every one of our seven elementary schools has a STEM teacher and this teacher integrates computer science in K-5 STEM lessons. I work with this STEM team, introducing new tools, and doing PD when needed. The sixth graders have the same required CS program that I started, and it includes units in Scratch, JavaScript/Processing, and Arduino. I currently teach this 6th grade program in one of the schools. I also teach a Python based CS elective in 7th and 8 grade at both Jr High schools. I also work with the 7th and 8th grade Science teachers to integrate CS into the Science classes. See more details on our CS programs at https://www.lasdschools.org/District/Portal/Computer-Science
WHAT IS YOUR OVERALL TEACHING PHILOSOPHY? PROJECT BASED LEARNING? FLIPPED CLASSROOM? IN SHORT, WHAT MAKES YOUR CS PROGRAM “YOUR CS PROGRAM?”
If I had to pick one overall philosophy, it would be ‘CREATIVITY’. My CS program was created from an art program, where the focus was on creating something that was personally relevant and where programming was just one more medium to express your creativity. I use mini projects to teach specific content, with challenges to differentiate instruction, and with as much flexibility as possible. The focus is to get students to work passionately on projects they care about.
WHAT IS THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN TEACHING CS AT YOUR SCHOOL?
Differentiation. After teaching CS for several years ,we now have students at widely different levels in our classes and we must differentiate in many ways to make sure we keep all students engaged. After taking the required CS classes at our schools, some students continue to work on coding projects at home, and even enroll in summer camps/clubs and more, while others have only done what is done in class (or have forgotten it!) . In our classes today, we work continuously on the challenge of creating a comfortable environment where each student can move at their pace.
WHAT IS ADMINISTRATION’S SUPPORT (OR LACK OF SUPPORT) LIKE AT YOUR SCHOOL?
Our administrators are very supportive of the programs. In 2009, when very few public schools were doing any CS (there was no code.org or much advocacy material 8 years back!), the Los Altos school administration showed that they were early adopters and innovative . They launched a district wide computer science program because they believed in the idea that this would encourage creativity and help students see computers in a different way. At every step during the last 8+ years, they have encouraged computer science in our district. We are constrained by the number of dedicated teachers available to teach CS, else we would have moved even faster than where we are today.
HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS FOR YOUR PROGRAM? FOR YOUR STUDENTS?
Success is measured by just one factor - ‘Do they want to do more?’. The answer is yes for all grades. The K-5 students love STEM time and welcome any open coding time. The sixth graders often tell us it is their favorite class and at their end of year showcase, we have a packed room of students showing their final projects. Our 7th/8th grade CS elective is over subscribed. Kids are using code in other classes on their own. A Chemistry or English teacher for example will sometime sends me a Scratch or Python project that was submitted to show learning in their class. Our students are not afraid of coding, and are always ready to learn more.
WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU LIKE TO TALK ABOUT REGARDING YOUR PROGRAM THAT I HAVEN’T ALREADY ASKED?
Students are curious, creative and eager to learn. It is so much fun watching them discover the magic of coding. Hearing that shout of joy, when a student fixes a bug can keep you going for hours even when you are tired. Computer science education is moving at a fast pace, and I am always learning new ideas, experimenting with new tools and looking for ways to improve our CS programs.
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE (IF ANY)
- · School name and web site: Los Altos School district. www.lasdschools.org
- · Twitter: sheena1010
- · Blog: computersforcreativity.com
See also Computer Science Educator Interview Series Index (2017) for other CS educator interviews.
No comments:
Post a Comment