0 Geeks drive girls out of computer science

Here is a message that I posted to the APCS list today:

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The perspective of a female high school CS teacher:

I find the article a true reflection of my experience as a female in computer science. In Jane Margolis? book, ?Unlocking the Clubhouse? ? she describes that alienation that women feel in CS classrooms and that women are more intrinsically motivated, while men are more competitive and extrinsically motivated. Definitely a good read for any CS educators. You also have to consider that during the ages of 12-16 when students are making decisions and pursuits towards their future careers, they are also struggling with what society expects of them as a male or female. While most men may find it amusing being the minority in a female-dominated environment, most women in a similar situation would find it intimidating.


I don't think that the solution is making CS more attractive to girls, rather make CS (in high schools and college curriculum) RELEVANT to everyone. Personally, I didn't really understand the relevance and applications from most of my CS classes until I was in my senior year and in my MS program!! Of course, I knew that the software programs and websites I used/saw were created by computer scientists; but there is so much more to CS than programming and software engineering. When students understand that what they are learning is the foundation to something bigger, they are more motivated to learn and accomplish more.

I think that from early on, CS students should learn about the applications of computing and specifically, the topics that they are learning. While we are facing challenges in the high school CS community; we can still make the APCS curriculum relevant to everyone. Relevance == Interest Spend the time to find relevant articles and stories that connect all students to computing, whether Black, White, Hispanic, Asian, male or female.

When creating assignments, provide options that cater to all students (not just genders, but ethnicity and interests). For example, instead of the same old boring calculator. Allow the students the option to create a calorie calculator or an interactive score board. Make the assignments personal. Assignments are 10x more interesting when it is something that makes sense.

The first step IS to broaden the image of computing; then we must follow through by creating an inclusive environment. This includes everything from posters on the wall, communication, teaching strategies and study groups. I agree with Michael Trigoboff statement that programming is ?gender-neutral? ? but what matters is how we teach programming. What motivates male students to persevere through more ?pain? and ?banging your head against the wall? than women? What is it that ?hooks? students? My theory is that every student has some ?connection? and that we have to broaden that connection.