CSforAZ co-chair Janice Mak recently authored an article titled 3 powerful words can unlock computer science success that was featured on ISTE.org. Provided is an excerpt:
I was reminded recently of the three powerful words that capture the everyday miracles of learning and teaching. It happened as my sixth graders were just beginning to create ordered and unordered lists during their first lessons in HTML. All at once, I heard a chorus of voices exclaim with joy, “I did it!”
There you have it. Three powerful words. I did it.
It struck me in that moment that this is what learning is all about. It’s about being able to do something that I was not previously able to do. It’s about surprising myself with what I am capable of doing. It’s about stretching beyond what is currently possible and continuing to push the boundaries of what is possible. That is empowerment.
The most incredible thing is that pretty soon these “I did it’s” will imperceptibly lead to a shift in mindset to “I can do it.” And, as a computer science educator, this shift is precisely what is most needed to expand participation in computing. This shift will allow students who previously could not envision themselves as computer scientists to do computer science in creative and innovative ways to solve problems in personally relevant ways.
