Educators in the USA and elsewhere are struggling right now. With relatively low pay for the skills needed to teach computer science, an ever-increasing list of responsibilities and risks placed on educators, and a work week that stretches beyond 40 hours, it’s no wonder that so many computing educators are burned out. In my interviews with more than 50 computer science educators and scholars on the #CSK8 Podcast, I frequently ask guests how they attempt to prevent burnout. This article uses Asian Efficiency’s TEA framework (helloworld.cc/TEA) to discuss how guests are intentional with their time, energy, and attention.
Read MoreThe social climate in the past decade has seen a rise in visibility of trans students in music classrooms and ensembles, leading to a need for scholarship on how to serve this growing population. Literature is being published to address this topic; however, the lack of scholarship by trans educators might lead many music educators to conclusions and practices that can be, at the very least, discouraging to some trans students and may disrupt their learning experiences. This article was written by four educators who identify as part of the trans community (a genderfluid and gender-nonconforming individual, a trans man, a trans woman, and a gender-nonbinary person) to fill this gap in the literature by illuminating some of the pitfalls inherent in the lack of discussion on (and by) trans people in music education. In addition, this article provides five actionable suggestions for working with trans students: (1) Learn about the trans community, (2) inspect your language and biases, (3) represent the diversity of trans people in your teaching, (4) promote healthy music-making and identity development, and (5) model allyship.
Read MoreDiscussions on assessment in education often describe summative assessments as a product-oriented assessment of learning, formative assessments as a process-oriented assessment for learning, and ipsative assessments as a self-reflective assessment as learning (Manitoba Education, 2006; Scott, 2012). Each of these types of assessment can serve different educational purposes, so which assessment would work best for you and the students with whom you work? This article presents a simple heuristic for creating or selecting an assessment.
Read MoreCoding environments and curricula with puzzles and challenges often utilize engaging platforms which guide young coders to learn fundamental coding concepts and practices. These environments and curricula often progress from simple through complex algorithmic sequences with clearly defined solutions. This approach not only provides useful resources for young coders new to coding, but for adults new to teaching, facilitating, or evaluating coding classes. Articles continues . . .
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