Lessons Learned from (In)Formal CS Education with Grant Smith

#CSK8 Podcast - A podcast for computer science educators

In this interview with Grant Smith, we discuss the importance of continuing to learn from other educators, what informal and formal learning spaces can learn from each other, how COVID has impacted Grant’s teaching philosophy, our preferences for in-person or virtual professional development and classroom instruction, lessons learned from entrepreneurial adventures in CS education, learning by jumping in and trying new things, heuristic-based learning, and so much more.

Click here for this episode’s show notes.

How to Get Started with Computer Science Education

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00:00 Intro

01:36 Grant introducing himself

02:19 Grant's journey through CS education

06:06 Something about education that Grant no longer believes

07:18 Advice on education that resonated with Grant

07:58 What's an ideal learning environment look like?

12:54 How informal and formal learning inform each approach

17:29 How Grant's philosophy of education has changed over time

21:56 What entrepreneurial journeys in education have taught Grant

27:53 What's holding back educators and what can we do about it?

29:25 How Grant iterates on his abilities

31:49 How Grant prevents burnout

33:14 Recommendations for improving equity and inclusion

33:35 What Grant wishes there was more research on

35:34 Something Grant could use help with from a listener

37:26 Heuristic-based learning

43:22 How to connect with Grant

43:51 Outro