Middle School Jewels-From the Mouths of Babes

We are approximately 3 weeks into our middle-school computer science classes at the Howard University Middle School of Math and Science. All instructors are starting to remember 120 6th-8th graders by name, and the 6 of us (2 faculty, 2 undergrads, 2 grad students) are starting to get hugs, waves, and acknowledgements in the hallway.

One of the best things I love about these kids are the things they say! Who knew that middle-school students were so ABSOLUTELY comical! I think it's the combination of their youth, naivete, and the things they've heard from adults (family, teachers, etc.) that makes what they say so hilarious. Every day, I can guarantee at least 2 students are going to put a smile on my face and guarantee me a laugh. I've listed a few below. I gave them my own names that best describe them (and also protect their identities):

• Little Lady-the tiniest 6th grader who speaks in a matter-of-fact-yet-monotone voice. Somehow, Little Lady can always answer any question you ask. However, it's going to take her about 5 minutes to do so, because she always provides such an intro to her answer that she forgets exactly what her answer was supposed to be along the way. Most of LL's responses start off great, and almost always end with "umm..I forgot what I was gonna say."
• Wonder Twins-My 6th grade twins (brother and sister) who are like night and day. Clearly, Jayna(the original Wonder Twin sis reference) is running the show, so much that she will quickly inform the class (if they begin chatting while she's speaking) "EXCUSE ME! I'm talking." Zan (brother) is pretty low-key. Although he will quickly inform his classmates, "why don't ya'll grow up..ya'll are in middle school!" *insert blank stare*
• Primetime, Maximum Swag, and Silent Assassin-This is my 7th grade trio I like to call "3 the Hard Way." Primetime earned his name because he looks like a young Deion Sanders. He provided today's comic relief when he answered the question "How does a GPS system use computer science?" with "MECHANISMS!!" I asked, "Primetime, what does mechanisms mean?" His response, "I don't know, it just sounded good!" Maximum Swag earned his name from the first day of class. When asked to write one thing he thinks few people know about him, his answer was "that I have maximum swag." *insert another blank stare*. Silent Assassin is the quiet one of the 3. He doesn't comment much, so not much else to say about him. These three always sit together and always have something going on that is comical.
• Ladies Man-Need I say how this 8th-grader earned his name? Suffice it to say, he is ALWAYS around some girls in the class.
• #1 Fan-#1 Fan is a 7th-grade female who finds a way to answer ANY question we ask with something related to Trey Songz. Since the class is supposed to include cultural relevance, this is great. As long as she understands the concepts then consider me his #2 fan! On the first day of class, we allowed the students to ask the instructors random questions to learn more about us. #1 proceeds to ask me the following: Who do you like better? 1)Beyonce' or Keri Hilson? (Me: At this point, Keri..to which she was amazed and quite disturbed) 2)Trey Songz or Drake (Me: NEITHER! *insert blank stare by students) 3)Hip Hop or Rap? (Me: Do you know what the difference between the two are? #1:Umm...no)

 As you can see, we have a mix of characters who keep us entertained. Stay tuned. It's only week 4 of 41. I'm sure by June I'll be able to write a NEW book!!! Hold that thought!!

Computer Science for Middle School Students???

This is my 6th year as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Systems and Computer Science at Howard University. We have a great relationship with Google, and we also house a public charter middle school on campus (The Howard University Middle School of Math and Science).

One of the new and exciting initiatives we have partnered with both Google and the middle school to create was a year-long computer science curriculum for 6th-8th grade students. This program is called the Partnership for Early Engagement in Computer Science (PEECS). PEECS is exciting not only because of the tremendous partnership we've formed, but also the curriculum we've developed.

I neglected to mention that the middle school (also known as MS2) is approximately 97% African-American and 3% Hispanic. In computer science (and STEM in general), these are two minority groups that are GROSSLY underrepresented. Part of the reason is lower performance in math and science courses at any earlier age, that extends through high school and their interests in these subjects. The other reason is lack of exposure to these disciplines. As a result, these students are not prepared to pursue the necessary high-school courses to prepare them for college studies in computer science.

Another major problem with African-American and Hispanic student interests in computer science is they don't feel like this is an area that they readily see themselves in. Think about it. How many African-American or Hispanic computer scientists do you know, or can name? Instead, the field is viewed as White and Asian male-dominated field.

PEECS is designed to change this. First, by working with Google, we are leveraging a program they developed called CAPE, which was designed to expose rising 9th graders to computer science through engaging activities throughout a 4-week summer. PEECS is bridging the engagement with curriculum. Not only are we teaching CS, but we are also doing it through hands-on activities and experiences that students can relate to and understand. One of the most important components of PEECS is that we created a culturally-relevant curriculum to teach students computer science.

Through this culturally-relevant curriculum, we hope to help students not only better understand computer science fundamentals (problem-solving, logic, programming, networking, Internet design, mobile application development, and robotics), but also show them how CS is already a part of their daily lives.

We officially kicked off the program last week with 120 6th-8th grade students in 6 classes. We have two CS faculty (myself and department chair Dr. Legand Burge), two undergraduate and two graduate CS students. We had a few technical difficulties, due to firewall issues, but have now resolved those, and are completing the assessments this week. Stay tuned for an exciting journey called PEECS!!