They are just as smart as boys – but why aren’t they taking these classes.
I started teaching coding in 1988. There were a fair amount of girls in the classes in the 1st year course, but they seemed to dwindle rapidly in the higher grades.
Why?
I moved to an enriched program that specialized in math, science and computers.
This program accepted ninety kids in grade 9, split 50/50 by gender. All of the kids in the specialized program had a full programming course during their first year in high school. Many of them continued to the next course, but the number of girls definitely declined. By the third course (Advanced Placement Computer Science), there were usually less than a handful.
So I asked myself why?
Do Boys And Girls Learn Differently?
I started studying the grade 9 classes. 90 kids in three classes, equally split with 50% girls.
I’ve always encouraged kids to help each other and get up out of their seats to see what others are doing.
The boys were loud and boisterous, while the girls tended to be quiet and withdrawn.
The boys bragged about their successes, and they willingly helped others, but they usually did it with an arrogant air.
The girls just seemed to shrink down in their seats and plug away. They hardly ever asked for help or brought attention to themselves. Those that struggled just tried to hide in the crowd. They were hard to find and help because they didn’t want to put themselves in the limelight.
Why Not A Girls-Only Class?
So, I proposed a new course code to my principal. Grade 9 programming with an “F” at the end – for females only!
She went for it, and so our guidance department hand-selected 30 girls each year for the course. The remaining girls were distributed between the other two mixed classes.
That first semester the girls didn’t seem to like being segregated. A few complained that they’d rather be in the other classes.
But, I noticed a difference almost immediately.
Girls LOVE To Code!
The girls opened up. They started talking, helping each other. Suddenly, the girls weren’t afraid to get up and move around the room. They shared their ideas, their triumphs and their problems. The class, on the whole, was happier.
The girls in the mixed classes were still quiet and isolated, and the boys just took over everything.
The all-girls class had no problems keeping up with the mixed classes. In fact, there were actually fewer lower grades because all of the girls were now actively participating in the learning process. They no longer had to hide in embarrassment from the boys if they didn’t understand something.
It took a few years, but the number of girls began increasing in the upper grades. Girls really do love to code!
More Girls Loved to Code!
Our program became known for its girls-only classes. Everyone who applied knew about it.
The girls-only courses substantially increased enrolment in all of our computer science and engineering programs. With a school population of only 1200, our coding team grew in size to over 100 strong and enabled us to create our first girls-only coding team.
More Girls-Only Classes!
We increased the experiment and started a girls-only 2nd-year course. This course was a success as well, and it had no problems filling up.
A lot of girls continued to the Advanced Placement Computer Science course and did very well.
Coding Makes A Difference!
Many of my grads are now in computer science, software engineering and other types of engineering in various universities. They are getting co-op placements and full-time careers in businesses like Google and Facebook.
Those that went into other fields tell me they are still reaping the benefits of learning to code. They’ve told me they still use it, and it’s taught them how to learn new coding languages or programs in their chosen field.
So, let's put the joy back into learning and encourage our girls to pursue careers in computers and technology. Click To Tweet