Jess Bain, a fifth-grade teacher at Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary School in Silver Spring, MD, is admittedly not a coder. Like many parents, she took an interest because of her son’s love of coding–he likes to create video games–but her own coding experience prior to Boolean Girl was limited to a summer camp class as a kid herself. Ms. Bain knew the impact and the importance of a coding education for children today, but without any expertise herself, she did not know how to integrate it into her lessons. So when she heard about  Boolean Girl’s micro:bit for All program at a teacher training at Kid Museum, Ms. Bain knew she needed to reach out. Once she understood how the micro computers could help children learn, she was excited to discover more. Ms. Bain has now been working with Boolean Girl for three years, bringing micro:bits to Drew's fifth grade classes.

Through the micro:bit for All program, Boolean Girl works with local sponsors to donate micro:bit Kits to fifth-grade classrooms in the DMV. We currently work with elementary and middle schools in the District of Columbia, Montgomery County, MD, Alexandria, VA, and Fairfax County, VA. We teach educators and students how to use micro:bits, and we provide lesson plans to help teachers integrate the technology into subjects such as math, science, and art.

In Maryland, we partner with nearby high schools to teach students in technology clubs and classes how to use micro:bits, and then those students travel to the local elementary schools to teach the younger students. For Ms. Bain and her fifth graders, one of the best parts of the program was when Paint Branch High School students came to teach the class.

“The kids are always excited to have the high schoolers come,” said Ms. Bain. “Sometimes they went to our school, and we might have even had them as students.”

After learning micro:bit basics from Boolean Girl, the high schoolers created their own slide show and walked the fifth graders through how to set up and use the micro:bit. Then using MakeCode, they began to code, starting with simple requests, then using the free, ready-made code on microbit.org to get started and play some games. 

After that first session, Ms. Bain will then integrate coding with micro:bits into lessons throughout the year, adding on and helping her students grow in their coding skills while learning other subjects. Ms. Bain was prompted to learn more about the other parts in the kit when her daughter, after being introduced to the micro:bit, tried to figure out how to use the rest of the kit to build a robot cat.

Boolean Girl offers six-class Professional Development courses for teachers interested in learning the basics and furthering their own micro:bit and Scratch coding skills. The courses are virtual and recorded, so if you miss one or need to go back to jog your memory, it’s all there for you.

“Brian [Moran, Boolean Girl co-founder] made it feel simple because of how he taught it,” said Ms. Bain. “As someone who is not in that space, it’s really not that simple, but we figured it out because he kept explaining it. I was able to integrate so much more [this year] after taking the course.”

Ms. Bain is excited about all of the different things she can teach with the micro:bits, from temperature reading outside for ecology studies, to using them to make cube satellites in Space Science. But micro:bit lessons go beyond coding. They teach students to be comfortable trying new things and to not be afraid to fail. For high-achieving perfectionists and other anxious kids, this is one of the most important things they can learn.

“One of the best aspects [of micro:bit lessons] is that if you code it wrong, you won’t mess it up. You just need to try again,” said Ms. Bain.

This is especially important for girls and young women, as confidence has a major impact on their career decisions. According to The Girls' Index™ Girls & STEM Impact Report by ROX (Ruling Our Experiences), 78% of girls do everything they can to avoid messing up or failing at something. That fear of failure impacts how they think about their futures. Forty-percent of girls with a 4.0 grade point average are not even sure if they are smart enough for their dream career. Girls with lower confidence are less likely to pursue STEM careers. With a gender gap of 28% in computer science and engineering, this is a trend we need to reverse.

“Every time I talk about the micro:bit, they get excited. Most are all in and eager to play and try new things,” said Ms. Bain. “They’re not just messing around. They’re invested in learning what it [the micro:bit] can do and what they can get out of it.”

Interested in getting your school involved in micro:bit for All? Fill out the form here.

We are also looking for new sponsors of micro:bit for All in Montgomery County and other school districts. Can your organization support us? Let us know.

You can get a micro:bit Kit of your own and learn at home with free challenges at microbitkit.com (proceeds help fund Boolean Girl’s programs).