The design process of this ImagineIT has shown me just how busy students are these days. I had many different girls interested in joining the group but between the later start time this year, students being involved in many different clubs and the craziness of CPS it has been difficult to find a regular time to meet. This turned into the ImagineIT being more a drop in to the library then group that meets on a regular basis. This allowed many different groups of girls to benefit from the group even if they were not able to meet on a regular basis. We spent most of our time tinkering with the Makey Makey set and figuring out all of the different things we could do with objects that could be found in the library.
The students were very surprised that they had so much fun just playing with math. Some of them said that they would be interested in pursuing a career in math or coding when they had not previously considered this before which makes me view my group as a success! I created the group to help expose students to ways that math and science can be fun. In reaching out to colleagues, they would have liked to see the group be more about career exploration and looking at college majors which is something I would like to incorporate next year.
I have learned that it is difficult to start a group with students. They are so busy with their families, extracurriculars, and homework. The point of the group was to make it a place where they could come explore when they had time and I think that if the group was more structured it would not have been as successful. Next year I will try to incorporate more of the math and science teachers to make sure that I can involve students in all grade levels and levels.
The students were very surprised that they had so much fun just playing with math. Some of them said that they would be interested in pursuing a career in math or coding when they had not previously considered this before which makes me view my group as a success! I created the group to help expose students to ways that math and science can be fun. In reaching out to colleagues, they would have liked to see the group be more about career exploration and looking at college majors which is something I would like to incorporate next year.
I have learned that it is difficult to start a group with students. They are so busy with their families, extracurriculars, and homework. The point of the group was to make it a place where they could come explore when they had time and I think that if the group was more structured it would not have been as successful. Next year I will try to incorporate more of the math and science teachers to make sure that I can involve students in all grade levels and levels.