Many of us are fortunate to have taught classes in which all students are active participants and teaching and learning are natural activities in the classroom setting. Chattering among my students brings a smile to my face. But every once in a while, there is that one student who “prefers to work alone.”
The Hart Research Associates surveyed employers and concluded that a majority of employers believe that greater emphasis should be placed on a variety of learning outcomes developed through a liberal education. One such outcome is teamwork skills and the ability to collaborate with others in diverse group settings[3].
Computer Science Principles is a course presently under development and being led by a team of computer science educators organized by the College Board and the National Science Foundation. This course seeks to broaden participation in computing and computer science. Listed as one of six computational thinking practices covered in the curriculum is “working effectively in teams”[4].
A comment from one computer science teacher in response to a pair programming thread in an electronic discussion group: “The popular kids will always flock together and the loners will always be loners.” I would like to say, “Not so.”
Many teachers encourage productive teamwork by incorporating pair programming in their classes. “Pair Programming” is an agile development technique in which two programmers work together at one computer following specific techniques[1]. The intention is to have two people as resources; they are working towards the completion of the same task at the same time with two sets of ideas. They are working collaboratively to accomplish this task. This is very different from working cooperatively.
There are no loaners in my class. I have tried various techniques, some working better than others:
* I assign pairs and monitor all pair programming (they do this activity only during class time)
* I have allowed the “loaners” to work alone if they are willing to accept a grade deduction of about 20%. This is not a popular choice but has been accepted by a few.
* I assign pairs based on requests and honor requests of “I do not want to work with so-and-so”. All requests are confidential!
* I start the year with a pair activity to break the ice [2].
But I still search for new ways to eliminate the loaners so that all students WANT to work collaboratively on a team or use pair programming techniques.
What do you do to effectively eliminate the “loners” in your class?
Resources:
[1] Pair Programming: http://agile.csc.ncsu.edu/pairlearning/educators.php
[2] Pair Draw: http://industriallogic.com/games/pairdraw.html
[3] Hart Research Associates: Raising the Bar: http://www.aacu.org/leap/documents/2009_EmployerSurvey.pdf
[4] CS Principles: http://www.csprinciples.com
Fran Tees
CSTA Chapter Liaison

Things are happening in Massachusetts on the Computer Science education front. First, Dot Diva, a program sponsored by WGBH and ACM to promote the field of Computer Science for high school girls. The Dot Diva launch is September 27 in Cambridge, MA.
Another upcoming event to promote Computer Science for high school students is being sponsored by the Tech Hub Initiative, a group of industry and academic leaders focusing on mobilizing efforts and enhancing awareness of the need of computational thinking and STEM in education. This event, called the Tech Youth Summit, will take place on October 16 in Cambridge, MA. Students (and their teachers and parents) are encouraged to attend to learn more about paths in computer science. Hopefully, an additional outcome of this event will be a fuller understanding of students’ perspectives on computer science. Perhaps the students can give us some insight on ways that CS can be promoted to people their age.
Lastly, the founding of a local CSTA chapter in Massachusetts is in the works! Several people have been working on this and are planning an organizational meeting at the end of October.
As the school year gears up, it is energizing and motivating to me to see all these events taking place. I am excited to see where this will lead on the local front. What CS events taking place in your area? What has you excited as you start your new school year?
Karen Lang
CSTA Board Member

If you are like most of the teachers I know (and how I used to be) then you probably spent your summer doing any combination of the following: vacationing, resting, conferencing, professionally developing, or working. And I would guess many of you spent more time doing the last two than the first three.
As teachers, we expect our students to hang on our every word (ok, really we would be happy if they hang on even 50% of our words) and to put into practice what we teach.
So, my question for you is: What did you learn this summer? And how do you intend to put it into practice? Our wish is for this blog to be very interactive, so we welcome comments from you so all our readers can live vicariously through you! I’m sure some of you attended the CS&IT Symposium or perhaps an Alice Workshop. Or maybe there was a workshop at a local university? Or maybe you taught a summer course and were surprised by a project one of your students created? Tell us about these experiences! We continue to grow through shared experiences.
As Vince Lombardi once said “The achievements of an organization are the results of the combined effort of each individual.” Do not be afraid to share something. CSTA is not just for you, it is you.
So let us know what you did last summer!
Mindy Hart
CSTA Board of Directors

Recently, my school received their results from the high stakes testing in our state. While my school maintained the Excellent rating for the fifth year in a row, my school is not meeting the AYP (Average Yearly Progress) reading requirement with our low socioeconomic status students. My school has now begun a school wide reading literacy program where teachers are asked to promote reading literacy within their subject area. Teachers have been encouraged to promote the reading of subject targeted materials in the classroom.
A close friend of mine is the Vocational Agriculture teacher. He has found a book with an agricultural theme and written in a style that would appeal to his Voc Ag students. His plans are to have the students read a chapter every couple of days and then to discuss it as an addition to his normal curriculum.
I would like to ask for some help from our readership. How do you promote or integrate reading literacy into your Computer Science program? What books, magazines, or online materials do you use and how do you use them in the classroom?
Dave Burkhart
CSTA Board of Directors

Career and Technical Education exposed me to the field of computing. I joined two organizations in high school that changed my life. My participation in FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) and ROCAME (Region O Council for the Advancement of Minorities in Engineering) allowed me to see what a Computer Scientist and Engineer “looked like.” These organizations also groomed me for the experiences that followed during my years as an undergraduate Computer Science student in the College of Engineering at North Carolina A&T State University. It was all relevant.
We as adults base our decisions on statistics and track interest rates for credit cards, various loans of all types and follow the Stock Market closely. This type of data is important to society and allows us to make effective decisions. Is this type of data relevant to our students when determining course enrollment or college majors? No. Do we provide students with effective and relevant data that would assist them in deciding to pursue a career in the field of Computer Science? My prior students were concerned with the amount of money they could make upon graduation. Some students were concerned about whether or not people represented in certain careers aligned with their profile or if they were “cool.” Did I mention they want to know how much money they are going to make?
When I toured companies as a high school student in ROCAME, I was convinced after my first onsite meeting. Why? The mentor assigned to our chapter discussed aspects of his job that seemed fun, he looked like me, I made a connection with his experiences and they aligned with my interests. He showed me what a person in his field looked like and made it relevant. We have a great responsibility to expose students to the field of Computer Science, be visible in their classrooms as well as during post school events.
I am currently employed in one of the largest districts in my state and there are less than ten Computer Science programs. How do we effectively integrate this field at every level in K-12 education and show students what a Computer Scientist looks like? How do we make it relevant?
The resource Pathways in Computer Science is posted on YouTube. It assists in marketing the field of Computer Science to students.
It’s a start.
Shemeka D. Shufford
CSTA Board Member