My dad is a pancake master. He makes pristine 3-inch circles of joy in a hot pan within minutes– he’s got every ingredient and topping perfected.
And I have mastered the perfect programming pancake.
I start with a slosh of affirmation, thrown in to a medley of constructive criticism and helpful hints. I stir in a heaping of code-completion, along with a tantalizing final project. And finally, I top it off with the sweet, oozing surprise of learning a new skill.
The pancakes are delicately served to my 7-11 year old programming students. I watch their eager faces, enticed by the fluffy hotcakes, knowing that the mix-ins of affirmation and syrup on top mean just as much as the skills within. I show them their next project, a customized version of “flappy bird” –their eyes glimmer at the code they’re about to indulge in. …show more content…
After taking a HTML course at my school, I wanted to further explore technology by taking AP Computer Science; however, due to a lack of interest, the class didn’t run. Without a guide, I lacked direction in my programming affairs, so I saw this an opportunity within my school to invite more girls into the digital world. Motivated to empower the girls at my school, I approached my school’s head about the lack of programming courses in the senior years. I proposed my idea to create a coding club to the parents’ auxiliary, pitching my “programming pancake” recipe. Upon their approval, I began developing a course curriculum for a weekly coding club with the junior girls to build an interest in computer science.
The course curriculum was centered around my recipe; a balance of the rich, dense coding skills, as well as the sugary sweetness of engaging colours and cute graphics. To teach graphic design and game design, I planned activities such as designing Mother’s Day cards online and coding 2048! Once the curriculum was finalized, I began coding weekly with the
And I have mastered the perfect programming pancake.
I start with a slosh of affirmation, thrown in to a medley of constructive criticism and helpful hints. I stir in a heaping of code-completion, along with a tantalizing final project. And finally, I top it off with the sweet, oozing surprise of learning a new skill.
The pancakes are delicately served to my 7-11 year old programming students. I watch their eager faces, enticed by the fluffy hotcakes, knowing that the mix-ins of affirmation and syrup on top mean just as much as the skills within. I show them their next project, a customized version of “flappy bird” –their eyes glimmer at the code they’re about to indulge in. …show more content…
After taking a HTML course at my school, I wanted to further explore technology by taking AP Computer Science; however, due to a lack of interest, the class didn’t run. Without a guide, I lacked direction in my programming affairs, so I saw this an opportunity within my school to invite more girls into the digital world. Motivated to empower the girls at my school, I approached my school’s head about the lack of programming courses in the senior years. I proposed my idea to create a coding club to the parents’ auxiliary, pitching my “programming pancake” recipe. Upon their approval, I began developing a course curriculum for a weekly coding club with the junior girls to build an interest in computer science.
The course curriculum was centered around my recipe; a balance of the rich, dense coding skills, as well as the sugary sweetness of engaging colours and cute graphics. To teach graphic design and game design, I planned activities such as designing Mother’s Day cards online and coding 2048! Once the curriculum was finalized, I began coding weekly with the