Three inspiring ways to empower girls in computing with I Belong at key stage 2
In September, the I Belong programme for key stage 2 (KS2) had its official launch. Already, we are hearing inspiring stories coming from primary schools across the country in how they’ve implemented the programme in their school. We recently spoke to three schools who recently completed the programme and discussed their efforts to combat gender stereotypes and promote gender equity.
Using the Teach Computing Curriculum to make teaching more inclusive
Samantha, a primary teacher near London, eagerly started the I Belong programme for KS2. She has been teaching the Year 3 Desktop Publishing unit from the Teach Computing Curriculum and adapting it to make it more gender balanced. Instead of creating a magazine cover, her class used Canva to create their very own I Belong posters, adapting ideas from the posters already available through the programme. They also used Adobe Express to create a variety of media to show women's roles and careers in new ways.
Collaborating with Computing Hubs to empower and inspire pupils
Tom is a primary teacher in Manchester. He has already worked with his local Computing Hub to bring girls from upper KS2 and Year 8 together to collaborate on a computing project. Following this, Tom gained support from Computing Ambassadors to empower girls in his class.
Through engaging with Computing Ambassadors, pupils met a female professor who introduced them to LEGO Rovers. In addition, a female engineer was invited to support the girls with a project to design a sustainable city where women could feel safe. The Computing Ambassadors provided positive role models and engaged the pupils in culturally-relevant projects – by taking inspiration and inviting Computing Ambassadors into your classroom, you can help to change girls' views on computing and STEM, too.
Introducing contextualised learning
Matt is a teacher in West Yorkshire. He has found that contextualised learning can really help girls feel empowered. Matt now advocates for purpose-driven, problem-solving projects, especially those that link to the pupils' interests. In his classes, girls have felt inspired by taking part in a collaborative project, fundraising for a local charity.
Through this, teams worked together to design a fundraising event, seeing it through to the very end. By carrying out such a real-world activity, his pupils have developed their key skills by creating posters, collecting data, using spreadsheets, and building their presentation skills, also improving their communication and computing skills.
How the I Belong programme can help you achieve even more
All three schools are showing every day how they are empowering girls in computing and embedding the programme in their schools. However, did you know that the I Belong certificate can also contribute towards school success in The Computing Quality Framework and help teachers towards earning their Teach primary computing certificate?
For instance, in the former, much of the good practice that the I Belong programme offers will help you to improve the 'Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and SEND' benchmark needed to achieve the Computing Quality Mark. Further, by adapting a lesson or unit of the Teach Computing Curriculum to be more engaging and relevant to female pupils, you can take a step closer to earning your nationally recognised qualification.
So, don’t reinvent the wheel! Use what you are doing already to help you achieve recognition in teaching the subject all while making a commitment to empowering girls into computing.