JerseySTEM Teach It Forward helps kids program Scratch

Teach It Forward ” width=”1024″ height=”768″ /> Sonia Kukarni and Laura Seth Teach It Forward to Chatham First graders

JerseySTEM Teach It Forward brought 4 teenagers to help teach Scratch programming. Southern Boulevard School’s Teacher of Design and Technology, Ms. Samantha Stojanov led 2 classes of Beginner Coding as part of Fall 2016 after-school enrichment.   The older students helped the youngsters login, understand where to click, and troubleshoot their programs. Having the older kids enabled the dozen class members to progress more productively.

As part of a 3 year partnership between JerseySTEM and the SBS PTO, the older girls assisted 5 and 6 year olds for 8 weeks. Laura Seth & Sonia Kulkarni, both 8th graders at New Providence Middle School, assisted on Thursdays. Meera Malhotra & Penelope Kass, 9th graders at the Chatham High School, assisted on Tuesdays.  Sonia, Meera and Penelope are also members of the all-girls JerseySTEM Robotics Teams.

Supporting girl leadership in STEM

JerseySTEM consistently provides examples of girl leadership in STEM in its programming.  Among others, JerseySTEM partners with

• the Society of Women Engineers,
• the Murray Center for Women in Technology at NJIT
• Girls who Code

JerseySTEM’s 2016/2017  programming included:

• Drew University graduate students and adult volunteers in their AstroFun program on STEM Fridays
• Kiswe Mobile , a JerseySTEM sponsor,  hosted a trip.  A woman programmer gave the presentations with support from founders Wim Sweldens and Francis Zane, who are also New Providence residents.
• Girls who Code sections for middle and high school students

How can I get my kids involved with JerseySTEM Teach it Forward?

JerseySTEM is a donation based community co-op. Programs include Robotics, Coding, Engineering and Academic Support for high schoolers. Parents and community volunteers run the programs.  To get on the mailing list, go to signup.jerseystem.org  and check all of the relevant boxes. If you are already on the list and want to update your preferences, then go through the same steps and you will have a confirmation page and email.

Students, parents, and professionals can inquire about volunteering here.  Also, You can find more details about JerseySTEM on Facebook, LinkedIn, or Volunteer Match, or their programs page.

Keep in mind that Creative Compensation Opens Opportunities for Teens.

Resources used

For those following along at home, the class worked through Hour of Code exercises.  Artist, Angry Birds, and Minecraft were particularly popular.  The kids met after school as part of a larger after school enrichment program. Resources included a laptop cart, classroom, and a wonderful teacher!

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