An Innovative STEM Experience
Education Studies Professor Stephanie Banks and Computer Science Professor Aarathi Prasad conduct an exciting independent study program where Skidmore students teach computer science to sixth graders at Maple Avenue Middle School in Saratoga Springs, New York. Skidmore students in STEM related majors, such as physics and computer science, bring their expertise in computer science to these classrooms, teaching these difficult concepts to young learners in a tangible way. This independent study ran its original cohort during the spring of 2024, and it was such a success that it was continued in the fall of 2024 and will also be repeated during the spring of 2025. So far, nine Skidmore students have taken part.
Professor Banks uses her own expertise in STEM education to instruct Skidmore students to build a curriculum, plan lessons, and teach sixth graders. All of the Maple Avenue students enroll in the course, and the overwhelming majority have no prior experience with coding. Skidmore students are an asset to this program because they refresh the curriculum 鈥� which used to be filled with mostly digital literacy 鈥� with more sophisticated content. For example, Skidmore students introduced circuit playgrounds and taught the sixth graders how to make these circuits light up, make sounds, and play music. Banks reflects on how rewarding this can be: 鈥渋t is exciting to see the sixth graders鈥� faces light up when they realize they have coded something and can see it working in a tangible way.鈥� Additionally, Skidmore students have also taught sixth graders Scratch, an educational programming language designed for learners aged 8-16, and about the ethics of artificial intelligence.
According to Banks, this experience is often hugely rewarding for Skidmore students because it teaches them 鈥渉ow to put together something super meaningful and impactful in a short period of time. Even for students who are not interested in becoming educators, they learn skills like presenting and classroom management that they will undoubtedly use wherever they go after graduation.鈥�