Mathematics and the Rise of #CSforAll Risk & Opportunity Mathematics and the Rise of #CSforAll

The best-laid plans The Plan: make $$ in tech, then teach! New Plan: teach computer science! New New Plan: teach algebra! …and this is a common experience….

“Computer Science is nice-to-have, but Algebra is a must-have.” -Many, many Principals

Why Algebra is a “Must-Have” Gateway to STEM & Beyond Income and Equity Standardized Testing 44% of CA students

A train leaves Chicago at 6pm, traveling east at 70mph…

“Why is Algebra so Hard?” 9 * 2 = ☐ 3 * ☐ = 21 4+2 = ☐ f(x) = x+2 object process

“Arithmetic is to math as spelling is to journalism.” - Me, right now

Maybe programming can help? Logo does not teach Algebra (Clements, 1999; Pea & Kurland, 1983) Programming variables != math variables (Usiskin) Some encouraging evidence from Wilenksy, Dubinsky (ISETL) and Kaput (SimCalc)

Coding got trendy! CSforAll might be one of the only bipartisan issues out there! But having everyone agree on what we should do doesn't mean it actually gets done. So let’s talk about what we want, and how to get there….

Why CS Poses Problems for Math The Risk Why CS Poses Problems for Math

Most K12 Programming is Math Hostile Numbers Variables Functions ½ * 2 = x = 10 You don’t even want to know… x = x+2 These languages don’t have numbers These languages don’t have variables These languages don’t have functions!

Who’s Going to Teach It? Time & Space Certification Teachers Money 1) Getting CS certification in all 50 states will take a lot of years and a lot of dollars, and once that’s done 2) We have to train 20k dedicated, full-time CS teachers, which will take even more years and dollars...and that’s just to reach every 9th grader! 3) Retaining those 20k teachers means paying billions of dollars in salary every year, forever…and that’s if they’re not lured away by the money and benefits that SV can offer. Some of you in the audience have already seen it happen. 4) There’s only so many hours in the day and rooms in the building– where do these classes fit? Finding national-scale solutions to all four problems will take decades and billions. So here’s a question.

Why CS might be a Good Thing for Math The Opportunity Why CS might be a Good Thing for Math

Going beyond numbers…all the way to videogames Algebraic Language Going beyond numbers…all the way to videogames Structured Problem-Solving Taking teacher needs seriously Multiple representations Worked Examples Align to National and State Standards Applies to both programming and mathematics We sometimes trick ourselves into thinking that we teach kids problem-solving, simply because we give them problems to solve

10,000 Foot View Brainstorming, and Circles of Evaluation Datatypes, Domain &Range 2 3 f + The Circles of Evaluation are sentence diagramming for order of operations, which flows smoothly into function composition later on f (2, 3) 2 + 3

10,000 Foot View height : Number -> Number height(t) = 7 * t Brainstorming, and Circles of Evaluation Datatypes, Domain &Range Defining Functions Animating your Game height : Number -> Number height(1) 7 * 1 height(2) 7 * 2 height(3) 7 * 3 After rocket: from this point onwards, every problem in the curriculum is a word problem height(t) = 7 * t

10,000 Foot View 0 < f(x) < 640 Brainstorming, and Circles of Evaluation Datatypes, Domain &Range Defining Functions Animating your Game Booleans and Inequalities Piecewise Functions 0 < f(x) < 640

10,000 Foot View Brainstorming, and Circles of Evaluation Datatypes, Domain &Range Defining Functions Animating your Game Booleans and Inequalities Piecewise Functions Pythagorean Theorem Game Release Party! And when they’re done, kids do a videogame launch party, where they show off their games and explain their code and the math behind it to an audience of peers, teachera and parents. It’s a science fair….for the math department

Impact Successful transfer into Algebra! (see BootstrapWorld.org/impact) Teachers reported higher student engagement Equity and Diversity by design

15 Thousand Students Annually 46% African-American or Latino 43% Girls and Young Women 46% African-American or Latino And since every child takes algebra, we are truly reaching ALL students. Some people brag about having 2x the percentage of young women as the software industry. Well the industry average is 8%, so are we really happy with 16% of students being girls? We need to think bigger! This year, 15 thousand students are learning Bootstrap, mostly in math classes taught by teachers with no computing background. 46% of Bootstrap students are girls, and more than 43% identify as african-american or latino. How is it possible to get these numbers? Well, do it by design, by working with the classrooms that already reach all students.

Building on a Strong Foundation Bootstrap:1 (Algebra) Bootstrap:2 (Data Structures) Bootstrap: Lightweight Data Science Bootstrap: Physics

Get Involved District Outreach Preservice Math/CS Teacher Training Check us out: Swarthmore, PA: November 10-12th

Takeaways Programming means different things Risk: divert critical resources from math, stigma for CS Reward: improved math and CS access, faster and cheaper The math field must be active in this discussion

/BootstrapWorld /+BootstrapworldOrg Info@BootstrapWorld.org /BootstrapWorld