Breaking Down the Gender Divide with Hackathons

Getting non-techie types interested in Computer Science can be a real challenge, but it’s not impossible. Adrian Porter shows how a hackathon initiative has taken off, making the subject relevant, fun and personal to a much more diverse group.

Twenty-something pupils in a room, one evening after school, all talking about coding. Yes, coding, and solving problems. Hunched over their laptops, the light from the screens illuminating their faces and having fun. Fuelled by their own imagination and, OK, pizza and cola! Yes, this was our own hackathon and we were very proud of how well it was going.

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      string(356) "... gender related, soI used some statement cards to guide our research. Thequestions were: Do male and female language styles differ?What is important about language gender differences thatwe can use to advise people?Being in role required a shift in my teaching languageaway from instruction – I couldn’t say: “Divide ..."
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      string(5677) "they acquire – they are never passive recipientsof information, but ‘experts’ researching a project withpride and passion. So, the gender discourse project becameembedded in us becoming ‘life coaches’ for three weeks,with three clients to work for.Guiding questions for this ‘Mantle of the Expert’ project:1.  To what extent do the students require theinformation?The information will be in the area of gender discourse theoriesto provide background knowledge for the A2 course.2.   From what frame of reference should theinterrogation of the information take place?Students are framed as ‘life coaches’.3.   How will the information be shaped and placedwhen they first meet it?The information is presented in the form of a business planpresented by the managing director (teacher) and statementcards about male and female discourse styles.4.   What tasks will engage the students in findingthe information?Initial roles as new employees in the company – establishingcompany name and mission statement, working to client briefs(introduced at key moments).5.       What tools are required? Teacher in role as managing director, gender statements toprovide initial direction, letters from clients.6.   What form will be used to preserve theknowledge gained?Creative presentations about gender discourse theories andpresentations to three ‘clients’ -which will mimic the skillsrequired for the A2 coursework.Adapted from pg33 Drama for Learning, Heathcote & Bolton 75Teaching Thinking&Creativity  Vol 10:1www.teachingtimes.com   Teaching approachesThe LureI hadn’t seen my students for three weeks. They arrivedto an advert for the new Life Coaching company on theclassroom door. I greeted them in role – I wore a visitors’badge with my new name.Following some initial confusion, the students quicklyengaged with the idea. They decided on a company name(‘Stepping Stones Life Coaching’), a mission statement andentered the imaginary space.The focus of the enquiry had to be gender related, soI used some statement cards to guide our research. Thequestions were: Do male and female language styles differ?What is important about language gender differences thatwe can use to advise people?Being in role required a shift in my teaching languageaway from instruction – I couldn’t say: “Divide these cardsinto three linked themes”. So I said: “I wonder if thereare different ideas running through these statements?”The students chose the themes (Dominance, Deficit,Difference) through discussion and negotiation. Theymade the decision to conduct more research inthe library. They chose to feed back their researchthrough creative methods covered earlier in theyear.Of course, I was manipulating the direction ofthe drama to expose learning opportunities, butI wasn’t ‘teaching’ in the traditional sense. Onestudent said: “We couldn’t rely on the ‘in role’ MsAstbury, because she wasn’t a ‘teacher’.” Theybecame ‘self-managing’.Links to the curriculumThe Scheme of Work ‘evolved’ over the lessons. Ihad a skeleton plan and an end point. The threeclients were introduced in stages – the lettersgenerated excitement and gave the studentswork focus. The first client required the students to useexisting gender research to inform a training package forHM Prisons, exploring how prison officers can developcommunications skills with prisoners of different genders.The second client required them to investigate languagefor the Women’s National Commission. The third clientasked them to explain gender research to Cosmopolitanmagazine readers.All these tasks mimicked the A2 project, which requiresassimilation of secondary research, conducting andanalysing primary research and producing a ‘mediapiece’ on the theme of their research for a lay audience. Itbecame clear that the syllabus offers considerable scopefor thinking and working in a creative way – I just hadn’tseen it before.Desirable outcomes of creativityThe techniques suggested in Mantle of the Expert involvea longer process of discovery that enables students toUsing role play and freeze frames to explore gender theories.76Teaching approaches   www.teachingtimes.comTeaching Thinking&Creativity  Vol 10:1develop resilience in tackling problems with no quick-fixsolution. The initial ‘lure’ captures interest and the outcomeis exciting. But what happens in between is laborious andmessy. It is an important factor in teaching for creativitythat students need to develop perseverance againstfrustration. We did reflective reviews at the end of eachsession, displayed throughout the three weeks as a recordof their journey.Metacognitive thinking, where students learn toexpress not just what they know but how they know itis fundamental to Heathcote’s Mantle of the Expert. 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Creative Teaching & Learning

Breaking the exam yoke

22 Nov 2009

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      string(4965) "teachers know. n Explore curriculum crossover from maths, English and science. n Invest in face-to-face training to give teachers confidence. n Team up in a collaborative effort to engage your class. n Focus on making it engaging and fun for both teachers andpupils.Anthony Sharp is Deputy Headteacher of MidfieldPrimary School in Bromley, Kent, and they chose CPDfor Teachers to deliver their How to Teach ProgrammingCourse. www.cpdforteachers.com http://www.teachingtimes.comhttp://www.cpdforteachers.comWritten by Sue Hackman – formerDfE Chief Adviser and one of the UK’sleading experts on assessment.Special Offer for AfA associated SchoolsOnly £200 + VATPlus 1 year’s free access to theCreative Teaching and Learning ServiceSee over for detailsIt’s the only inclusive scheme, reaching pupils working belowNC levels, and is recommended by Achievement for AllIt covers all NC subjects and Key Stages 1, 2 and 3It’s more sensitive than its forerunner, APP, for triggeringinterventions and evaluating impactThe cost has been kept low to support the future ofassessment for learningIt works on paper and as an App, and all this is part ofthe priceIt provides a full range of management information forschool leadersIt tracks cognitive development and links to expertteaching strategyÞFind out more atwww.climbingframes.org.ukOr call 0121 224 7599“Fantastic!’ were the words from the headteacher of one of our schools as soon asshe started engaging with the Climbing Frames materials. Clear, focused and commonsense guidance that is based on national expertise immediately made colleagues feelsecure in the next phase of assessment within the new curriculum.”David Hilton, Head of Curriculum and Standards, The Active Learning TrustHere’s why youtoo should chooseClimbing FramesLooking for a sensitive butstraightforward way to track progress?Recommended as“best of breed”byAchievement For AllName:Job title:School/Inst:Address:Town:Postcode:Email:Tel:£ Please invoice me(Official purchase no:)£ I enclose a cheque for £(made payable to Imaginative Minds)£ I wish to pay by MasterCard/VisaCard no:Start date:       /       Expiry date:       /                Sec no:Name on card:Signature:Order your pack today at www.climbingframes.org.ukOrder hotline: 0121 224 7599 Fax: 0121 224 7598            Email: enquiries@imaginativeminds.co.uk6  ways Climbing Frames helps you               track pupil progressCFAFA15“We have seen a large number of systems,and Climbing Frames is by far the best ofbreed. Its pre-levels – for those childrencaught below the start of the new NationalCurriculum – and its Cognitive DevelopmentFramework show how well thought out itis. We would recommend our schools tosubscribe.”Professor Sonia Blandford, CEO, Achievement For AllIt is the only system that has pre-levels for childrenthat will fall behind the starting point of the newNational Curriculum levelsIt is also the only system that tracks cognitivedevelopment, through its Thinking and LearningClimbing Frame.It allows you to track pupils who are slipping behindor racing ahead of their cohort yearOne of the strengths of the system is that it can easilyindicate children moving ahead or behind their cohortyear. This will support differentiated teaching andlearning for the more, and less, able.It’s manageable because it tracks progress againstkey objectivesObjectives have been selected because they aremarkers of significant progress.They have been arranged and sub-divided into year-by-year steps to assist fine judgements.It makes room for the teacher’s professionaljudgementChildren do not always learn in a linear way, and masteryis not always instant. This scheme allows teaches to flexjudgements to reflect how far children have securedtheir objectives e.g. whether they have made clear earlyprogress, substantial progress or whether they havemastered them.Schools can opt to use a special utility for counting upindividual objectives achieved, generating summariesthat give managers a fine-grained view of strengths andweaknesses in learning.It’s big on dataAs well as tracking progress for each pupil, you willbe able to get class, cohort and whole school reports,filtered for gender, ethnicity, special needs, pupilpremium and free school meals.And there’s a special offer for AfA schoolsSpecial Offer for all Achievement for All associatedschools.As an AfA school, you will pay only £200 + VAT for theprinted pack and your first year’s access to the mobileassessment app.➊➋➌➍➎➏PlusOrder today to receive a year’s full school-wideaccess to the Creative Teaching and LearningServices – worth £120!Printed pack The mobile app Creative Teaching and Learning Service At the AfA price of £200 + VATü ü ü P&P for pack £3.50 + VATOrdering online or by phone?Please quote coupon code: CFAFA15 TotalOrder formR I would like to order Climbing Frames pupil progress tracker and receive:"
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Digital Learning

Breaking the code to deliver the new computing curriculum

22 May 2015

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      string(361) "... girls’ and boys’ reading appears to be closing. The report looks at the reading habits of 210,000 British schoolchildren. Although in some academic years girls are continuing to outperform boys, on balance across all years (1 – 11), the reading gender divide is closing.
Leadership Briefing Issue 6.09 (69)"
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      string(319) "... as books read by students who were reading at two or more years above their actual chronological year level. Students up to Year 4 were reading books more than two years ahead of their Year level. This compares very positively with last year when no high ability students were reading ..."
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      string(584) "This new report, written by Professor Keith Topping, Professor of Educational and Social Research, School of Education, University of Dundee and published by Renaissance Learning, shows that the difference in abilities between girls’ and boys’ reading appears to be closing. The report looks at the reading habits of 210,000 British schoolchildren. Although in some academic years girls are continuing to outperform boys, on balance across all years (1 – 11), the reading gender divide is closing.
Leadership Briefing Issue 6.09 (69)"
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      string(2961) "boys’ difficulty is greater than girls, three cases where girls’ difficulty is greater than boys and two cases where it is equal. This can no longer be regarded as a reason for male under-achievement in reading. Turning to APC, this also shows signs of rising. In three (early) Years, APC is well above 85%. In a further three (middle) Years, APC falls below 85% only in one or two cases. In a further three (upper) Years, APC falls below 85% in five cases out of 20. However, in general this represents an improvement over last year. Again, it may well be that teachers are guiding pupils more effectively in the book and quizzing choices.Overall, Roald Dahl remains the top author. Roderick Hunt has many mentions, all with young children. Next in a great surge comes Jeff Kinney with his Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, notable for its relatively high readability. After this comes Francesca Simon again, particularly popular with boys. J. K. Rowling has regained some of her former position. Allen Ahlberg has lost a good deal of popularity from last year, but still does well, especially with girls. For girls, Stephenie Meyer is now more or less equal with Jacqueline Wilson. For boys, Dav Pilkey, Michael Morpurgo and Robert Muchamore feature. Girls tended to choose books with female role models.Books read by high achieving readers were defined as books read by students who were reading at two or more years above their actual chronological year level. Students up to Year 4 were reading books more than two years ahead of their Year level. This compares very positively with last year when no high ability students were reading books at their ability-appropriate level. In all but one Year the difficulty of books read by these high ability students had increased. High-ability pupils enjoy J. K. Rowling, who has 38 mentions in 2012. Roald Dahl has only 21, a reversal of their positions from last year. Recommendations for the future seem clear. Students should be encouraged to: pass all quizzes; sustain a higher level of challenge in their reading, especially on transfer to secondary school; and sustain Average Percent Correct at or above the 85% level. Teachers should be aware of the very different student preferences for reading over time and the marked differences in preferences between boys and girls. Boys are particularly likely to read books that are too easy, and their reading needs closer monitoring than that of girls. Even high-achieving readers do not challenge themselves enough as they grow older. Boys are more interested in non-fiction but need encouragement to read it carefully. Books popular with children should guide school purchasing decisions in the future, but even on these books difficulty eventually declines.AuthorR ChimaDate CreatedFebruary 2012Enquiries to:raspal.chima@yahoo.co.uk(Authoring Unit)Month / YearPage 1 of 1©Birmingham City Council"
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Leadership

What Kids Are Reading 2012

29 Feb 2012

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      string(372) "... bills that allow or deny transgender individuals access to their choice of gendered public restroom have created major controversy about what constitutes human rights and gender identity. Feelings about whether it is necessary or useful to separate toilet facilities along a binary gender divide are strong and are polarising communities ..."
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      string(5688) "Inclusivity is at the heart of much of modern educational practice, and for many schools and students, the public toilets are a glaring reminder of attitudes and models of a past era that don’t necessarily serve the realities of today’s existence. Bullying, smoking, vandalism and criminal activity have often flourished in these spaces, making them unusable for vulnerable students. Many schools and organisations are redesigning their washroom spaces to enable all students to have access to the toilet – a basic human right that is often denied due to the realities of life for many youths.The debate over inclusive toilets is intense and fraught. In the United States, the various state bills that allow or deny transgender individuals access to their choice of gendered public restroom have created major controversy about what constitutes human rights and gender identity. Feelings about whether it is necessary or useful to separate toilet facilities along a binary gender divide are strong and are polarising communities and politicising the issue of toilet space in the public sphere. Why is this issue so important for schools to deal with and what do school leaders need to do to create effective spaces that accommodate everyone? Building codes and legislation are often the main drivers of change and many organisations will respond reactively to changes in legal requirements, however, ethically, this may be a very irresponsible approach. Dangers and FearsBullying is a major problem in schools. A 2016 report by Ditch the Label, an anti-bullying charity, shows that 50 per cent of UK students have been bullied at some point and that 11 per cent are bullied on a daily basis. In another study by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 16 per cent of secondary-level boys reported bad things happening in the school toilets. In addition to being a haven for bullying, traditional toilet facilities are becoming more and more problematic as awareness of the non-binary nature of gender is increasing. According to another report by the Cunningham Group, population studies estimate that between 0.5 per cent and 2 per cent of the population have strong feelings of being transgender, and that at least 0.5 per cent of the population has taken some steps toward transitioning their gender. In one of the most comprehensive surveys of the United States’ transgender population, a notably high rate of discrimination was reported in a variety of settings and forms. 78 per cent of transgender people reported being harassed at school by students, teachers or staff, while 35 per cent reported being physically assaulted and 41 per cent reported attempting suicide at some point in their life. The discrimination faced by the transgender community is significant and in the face of this research, it becomes apparent that the common multi-occupant, gender-segregated public washroom facilities do not enhance or facilitate human dignity, health or safety for a vulnerable segment of the population. It is crucial that schools take these issues seriously and work to create safe, usable washroom facilities for all students.Past PrecedenceArguments against all-inclusive washrooms are often based on resistance to change and a belief that separate toilets for males and females are somehow ‘natural’ and based on anatomy. However, like with most of human history, the development of public washroom space reflects the cultural beliefs and priorities of the society that created them, in this case the Victorians.Public washrooms were first used in the UK in 1851 at the London Crystal Palace and were not commonplace until years later. Women were especially restricted by the lack of public facilities, especially due to the restrictive ‘Separate Spheres’ ideology that restricted those of the ‘weaker’ sex to the domestic sphere. Women needed protection and, as urbanisation increased, architects and planners began to create cordoned off public spaces for women that ensured they were protected in their separate sphere. As factories proliferated, toilet facilities became more necessary and the Victorian values of privacy and modesty for women required that separate toilet facilities and dressing rooms be available. The laws that developed around sex-separated toilets were not based on a gender-neutral idea relating to anatomical differences, but rather were developed to reinforce the 19th century ideology that dictated women’s restricted place in society. As a society, we have disproven and moved beyond the separate spheres practice and so it makes sense that we should move forward with the public spaces we create.PossibilitiesSeveral options have been proposed to overcome the issue of gendered washrooms, including creating a small number of gender neutral, single-occupant toilets in addition to the more traditional facilities. This is still problematic from the perspective of safety and inclusion, as it requires a transgendered person to select a category of ‘other’, which can create further alienation and separation. The preferred situation, which is becoming more common in restaurants and bars, is multiple-occupant, gender-neutral facilities with lockable single occupant stalls. A new report from Cunningham Group Architecture Inc. outlines what aspects of design are important in washrooms for the K-12 sector and provides quantitative data on which aspects are most effective and important in making students feel safe. According to Cunningham Group, there are several key design"
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Leadership

Toilets For All Genders

12 Sep 2018