[Edu-sig] Thoughts?

[ajsiegel at optonline.net]

Douglas wrties -

> I'd like to see the data that the article uses, especially for the 
> sciences,and computer science, specifically. I teach computer 
> science at an all-women's
> college. We haven't seen a jump in any enrollment statistics. 
> Although we did
> have a general enrollment decline (like most colleges/universities 
> did) after
> the tech-pop, and also after 9/11/2001.

The article does not focus on science education.  I would guess  - or intuit, or see with my eyes - that behind the statistics, in fact, is the fact that one can achieve academic success, now more than previously, without any serious exposure to the sciences.

> 
> I would be very hesitant to link these stats to changes in the way 
> we teach
> computer science. For one thing, most of the research doesn't advocate
> teaching a topic in a "girl-centered" way, but rather teaching in 
> a more
> inclusive manner. That would include making assignments and examples
> accessible to all. 

I would contend that asserting we know how to make this kind of curricula "inclusive", from a gender point of view, overstates greatly our understanding of the differences (if any) between the genders.  We end up bringing something no deeper thatn fashion (because that's really as far as we can get) into the computer science classroom.  Yuck.

> 
> For another thing, I don't think most people in CS have changed 
> the way they
> teach. I have heard too often that schools "don't have any gender 
> issues",because *they don't have any women in their CS classes*.

They *don't* have a gender issue as long as both genders are welcome to enroll.

>
> I don't know what Art (and his ESP) have in mind when making his 
> generalcriticisms, but my colleagues and I see Python as being an 
> instrument to make
> computing more accessible---to everyone, and that the status quo 
> of how we
> teach CS needs some serious revision.

Boys like Python funcrtions fine.  And if you see something in Python functions that less excludes girls, wonderful.


Art