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