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Computer Science
At
Lake Brantley High School
Seth Reichelson
Biographical Data
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2010 – Current Lake Brantley High School, Altamonte Springs Fl
AP Computer Science, Honors Physics, Engineering
2005 – 2010 Ocoee High School (Apopka Relief School), Ocoee Fl
AP Computer Science A / AP Computer Science AB
AP Physics C, Concepts of Engineering Physics II
1997 – 2005 Apopka High School, Apopka Fl
Honors Physics, Concepts of Engineering
EDUCATION
University of Buffalo,
Mechanical Engineering
TEACHING AWARDS
• 2012 Air Force Teacher of the Year
• 2012 North American Mainframe Teacher of the year
• 2011 NCWIT Aspirations in Computing Award
• 2010 FIU ACM Computer Programming Teacher of the Year
• 2010 IBM North American Mainframe Teacher of the Year
• 2009 Bright House Star Teacher of the Year
• 2009 Florida School Board Innovation in Technology Award
• 2008 Central Florida Air Force Teacher of the Year
• 2010,2009,2006 SECME Engineering Mousetrap Car Design
National Champions
• 2007 SECME Engineering Mousetrap Car Design Runner Up
• 2010,2009,2008 Won ALL ACM High School Programming
Contests in Florida @ UF, UCF, FIU and Stetson (10 in a row)
Where I Taught Before
“D” School
(Failing School)
Needed to win to get any academic respect
My Journey
Before and after Tapestry workshop
BEFORE TAPESTRY WORKSHOP
1st and 2nd place at FIU’s ACM Programming contest.(No Girls on the team)
$24,000 scholarships
Big Trophies
Girls but we didn’t know them
Big $10,000 Check (that they kept)
No Girls but lots of big trophies
Never asked myself if
girls see themselves in
the Iron Sheik.
Serious but Silly
Always looking for ideas
• Once I stop looking to improve myself I am
done teaching.
• It would be nice for my boys to know a girl
before they graduate.
AFTER TAPESTRY
WORKSHOP
Overall message I got
• Didn’t have to compete to win.
• Added projects that don’t end with a
trophy.
• Still killer but more differentiated.
• Applied strategies learned.
• Reached out to yearbook, student
government, NHS and GSA.
Look Girls!
…..and one ninja?
Didn’t stop winning …….
and winning……..
Outreach Projects
Worked with yearbook
Picture blending
Worked with leadership
Children's games for relay
for life and pep rallies
GSA
Knitting club
NHS (Sneaky)
Hate the club but it is where the money is
Combined my AP CS with a 2nd grade class
She was amazing.
2009-2010
COMPUTER SCIENCE
40 STUDENTS IN AP
Context of Where I Teach Now • Lake Brantley High School
• “A” School
• Supportive
• 9 – 12th graders
• 3000 students
• Staff of 235 which includes
155 teachers
NO AP COMPUTER SCIENCE OFFERED
Problems with changing schools
• Started from zero
• No word of mouth
• Students had prior bad experiences with
Computer Science
• One Week before school starts
– 0 students enrolled in AP Computer Science
My concerns in starting a CS
department at Lake Brantley
• Need enough students to hold the class.
• Cost?
• How do I get the AP Calculus type students to
take my class?
• How do I get girls to take the class?
The perfect storm
• Sponsored a troubled NHS
• Students looking for a home
• Used to working hard at D school
• Calculus teachers liked me
• Students stay in school all periods
• Principal not afraid of anything
• Top notch CS Department head
• “Just hand out your syllabus …….”
-my boss
lol …they are going
to find out anyway
Recruiting Methods & Results
AP Night at Lake Brantley. Keeping it loud and fun. No syllabus.
Communicated a message that this course is possible for anyone to
accomplish. Targeted to High School Students with no prior knowledge.
No Computer Science Jokes or any reference to Nerds or Geeks
General selling points AP CS is a must have for all engineering majors
“Any top engineering school will laugh at you if you don’t take AP
CS”
No prior experience needed to take AP CS
Except counting (from zero), divide and get remainder
Computer Science makes you special
Resume Builder
IBM masters of the main frame contest
Engineering Team
Programming Team
All grades 9 -12th can do it
Students who can handle AP Biology, can handle CS
We have fun
We start programming day one!
Taking the Fear out of AP CS
• 9th grade parents want to know that their daughters will be safe in a class that is commonly male dominated
• They don’t want to start high school with a class that is over their head and be buried in work with no chance for an “A”
• Mastery Learning reduces their fears
• I assured the parents that if their child gets a bad grade I would call or email them and figure out what their kid needs to master and will supply them with additional resources. Once the concept is mastered I will change their grade.
• Some parents consider anything less then an “A” to be a bad grade. This works out great for everyone. The student gets an “A” and I get a 5 on the AP test.
Boys Girls
Said the word “ROBOTS”
Surf Camp (wait for it)
NASA and the Girls Get It program had given 7 of my girls a free 4 day sleepover surf camp ($500 value)
Repeated the word “ROBOTS”
NCWIT Aspirations award
Had one girl win the national award and 2 girls win the runner up award
Repeated the word “ROBOTS”
Flying Squirrels Robot Club
Providing for community service by forming a robot club to teach girl middle school and girl elementary school students computer science using robots (either Scribbler w/ Georgia Tech Fluke or Fitch robots)
Repeated the word “ROBOTS”
Girls comprised 46% of Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus test-takers, but only 19% of AP Computer Science test-takers
“AP CS will make you special” “If you want to stand out take AP CS”
Specialized Sell
Instructional Design Methods
• Differential instruction
– Students don’t start at same level
• Mastery Learning
• Open Enrollment (One of my rules)
• Never touch projects (My other rule)
Add drop is the first two weeks
• Objects first
Don’t start with your most boring material when students can add drop.
Start Strong
While other teachers are boring their students with syllabus and rules my class is programming objects using turtles.
My numbers went up the second week.
The moan when the class is over means it is working!
Assignment 0
Make something pretty. I want something to do with a warren of bunnies
doing something cute with bears. The teacher (me) will be the sole judge of
the cuteness. Your program must include a for loop and at least 8 different
Turtle methods. So hop to it. All worlds will be displayed.
No violence.
Extra credit will be awarded for the best integration of unicorn and Billy Mitchell.
And we train during the summer
http://lifemagazines.com/articles/science-
meets-fun-at-lake-brantley/
“Science meets fun at Lake Brantley”
Magazine article written by APCS student and NCWIT
Aspirations winner, Alex Mickler, for a community publication
of over 60,000 local homes
Word
of M
outh
Puppies always help!
Wow!!! 4 day free sleep over
surf camp run by NASA
No Posters……
Four Shirts and Sweatpants
Walking Billboards for AP Computer Science
Announcements
IBM Masters of Main Frame
SECME / Cyber Patriot / Masters of the Mainframe/ACM
Programming Contests / IBM Innovation Contest
All Team projects
• No time limit
• High retention
• Mentoring
• Students want in
Succeed
2009-2010 NCWIT Aspirations
Winners
2010-2011
NCWIT
Winners
Don’t mess
with my girls!
1st Year at Lake Brantley about 60 AP Computer Science students
2009-2010 AP Computer Science
Lake Brantley High School 2011 - 2012
144 students in AP Computer Science
45 % female
.5 % mascot
Next Year
• Programming One
– This is for students who want to take CS but don’t
want to commit to AP. This class will use Alice,
Green foot and anything else I can get my hands on
including scribbler robots.
• AP Computer Science
– Students do not have to take Programming One to
take AP
• Programming Research
– This is for students who have taken the AP class but
want to program more. We will be focusing on
contest problems and other languages besides JAVA
Results for 2011-2012
• Computer Programming I
3 female (13%)
20 male
• AP Computer Science (after scheduling, original total 191)
55 female (39%)
87 male
• Research III
13 female (36%)
23 male
Differences Explained All three classes • Listed in Curriculum Guide
• Open enrollment
Computer Programming I (non-weighted)
• Just listed in the Curriculum Guide
• Did not sell the class
AP Computer Science (AP weight) • Listed in the Curriculum Guide
• Heavily sold class using techniques developed by NCWIT
Research III (Honors weight) • Listed in Curriculum Guide
• Spread by word of mouth from current students
Next Year
• 296 signed up for AP Computer Science
The End