Times They Are A-Changin’

“If we teach today like we taught yesterday, we rob our children of tomorrow” is as relevant today as it was when John Dewey made this statement. This past week was Computer Science Week and schools around the world participated in An Hour of Code promoted and supported by Code.org and its founder, Hadi Partovi.  We too participated in this week and I was in awe of the support that we received from SAS Curriculum Pathways.  I am now teaching in a school with a new theme, being developed kind of “as we fly the plane”. We are taking chances, ideating, creating prototypes and testing as we go. Scary? Yes. Exciting? Also yes!! I have also seen and learned so much since August with this week being one of the most exciting, exhausting and exhilarating of all.

December is a notoriously tough couple of weeks before the break. Any veteran teacher will agree that we are tired, the students are tired, we are stressed, the students are stressed and patience can run short. It isn’t something to judge, it is human nature. So what a perfect time to recharge everyone with challenges that students think of as puzzles, games even.  Some might look at these challenges as non-academic, but I say stick around, watch and participate for a while. THESE are the skills that students need in today’s ever changing world. Collaboration is an integral part of these tasks related to coding and problem solving. Students have to discuss, take on different roles, demonstrate patience and fail. They have to reassess their strategies, think of new approaches and then when they succeed they celebrate and celebrate BIG. They know they didn’t just complete a series of math problems to turn in a worksheet, they did something real, something that had meaning to them. Then they start to add-on, develop their prototype a little more, apply some creativity and personalize it for their team. This is when the magic happens! This is what we know all of us need to be able to do to get along in an ever changing world. So, yes December ushers in Computer Science Education Week because 

the statistics show us that we need students to join the ranks of computer science jobs but it also creates students that know much more than putting together a series of code. It provides students with opportunities to grow in the ways that they are able to think, problem solve, create, relate and work with others.

Bugg Center for Design & Computer Science is a theme that encompasses these and many other opportunities for students. As I mentioned, we are working on the methods, ideas and format as we build it, taking risks just like we expect of our students. I have been part of watching the growth in students during this first part of the year. I know that most of our students have been exposed to some form of computer programming already as part of our theme, a coding special and Innovation Hours that I teach. It was very eye-opening to see students apply some of those concepts when presented with a new way of using their knowledge with people from outside the school. It was also awesome to experience their growth in mindset and abilities by being part of these opportunities more than once during this week. Students were part of classes that included SAS Curriculum Pathway educators twice during the week, so their Hour of Code really came as 2 hours. Students from kindergarten through fifth grade could speak more to the importance of computer science jobs and programming and started to become more creative with their tasks as the week progressed.

We still have almost 2 more weeks left before the break to keep the learning alive and engaging but I know that I am filled with new ideas and enthusiasm about how and what students need to learn for their tomorrow. I am so fortunate to work in an environment with so many knowledgeable teammates as well as to be part of my larger Professional Learning Network that always has new ideas, approaches and encouragement. Now I need to take the ideas and enthusiasm that our SAS partners brought to our students this week, along with with all of the other resources that we have as a school and community and continue the work of not just educating our students, but preparing them for the world of tomorrow, which looks like…