Listen and learn: Edtalk 
We have attended many sessions on the topic of girls and STEM. What's often frustrating is these sessions are presented by researchers with little classroom experience who offer little help in adapting that research to the classroom, or the sessions are presented by teachers who have wonderful success stories but their conclusions are not generalizable because they are primarily anecdotal, not research-based.
We are computer science teachers with 40 years of teaching experience between us, at all grade levels. Nandhini Namasivayam came to Menlo with AI industry experience, teaches advanced topics, and advises Menlo's Women in Technology organization. In 2015 Douglas Kiang was honored by the National Center for Women in Technology (NCWIT) for his work supporting girls in computer science. Zachary Blickensderfer is a dynamic and popular teacher with training in implementing strategies for increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion at all levels. This will be a practical, useful workshop, not simply a research brief. We have taken what the research shows and developed actionable strategies that teachers can put into practice right away.
This will be a practical presentation that gets a lot of useful information out to teachers with resources they can use in the classroom right away. In this session, teachers will learn six strategies for recruiting and retaining girls and other minorities in computer science, and see real examples of these strategies in action. We will also introduce teachers to a research-based curricular model we developed that lowers perceived risk and increases students' willingness to try different solutions to a problem without being penalized. This approach has been proven to widen the appeal of coding and computer science to students of all backgrounds and genders.
1. Introduction (5 min.) - quick audience survey via device
2. What is Belonging? (5 min.)
3. Six Strategies for Increasing Belonging
A. Seeing Others Who Look Like You Being Successful (5 min.)
- Role Models
- TA Support
B. Share Student Success (7 min.)
- Senior Posters
- Puzzle Day
- Share Fair
C. Reduce Competition (13 min.) - engage audience with a simple game
- Define competencies
- Feedback over grading
- Dashboards
D. Context over Tools (5 min.)
- Course Descriptions
- Global Goals
- Project-based
E. Provide Opportunities to Practice (10 min.)
- Daily Checks
- ChatGPT
F. Growth Mindset (5 min.) - audience goal-setting activity, discussion
- Affirmations
- Julia Evans cartoons
4. Conclusion (5 min.) - quick exit survey via device, share on-screen
Holmes, S., Redmond, A., Thomas, J., & High, K. (2012). Girls Helping Girls: Assessing the Influence of College Student Mentors in an Afterschool Engineering Program. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 20(1), 137–150. http://doi.org/10.1080/13611267.2012.645604
This research details specific strategies that are effective with girls of color and those of low-income and immigrant families. We draw on these findings in our curricular approach.
Mosatche, H. S., Matloff-Nieves, S., Kekelis, L., & Lawner, E. K. (2013). Effective STEM Programs for Adolescent Girls: Three Approaches and Many Lessons Learned. Afterschool Matters.
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