Learn to Code: For Girls

 I think that everybody needs to learn to code. That includes girls or depending upon their age, women. And there is quite a few people who agrees with me, considering the number of organizations devoted to either teaching girls to code, or at least heavily involve them. All that is good.

I started having trouble accepting them, however, when I see the course materials. It seems that the lessons aren't good for girls at all. In fact, I think that most of these classes, the course materials is rather alienating girls who code. Not that I think they do it on purpose, but that I think that they don't know any better. The only exception I can think of is Carrie Ann Philbin Geek Gurl Diary, where the topics presented are suitable for girls. 

I think the reason for this ignorance is because, well, ignorance. STEM is very popular program, and rightly so. It brings the nerdiness of engineering into the masses. That's a good thing. The problem is in the execution. It focuses on STEM and ignore everything else. I'm sure Dean Kamen, the creator of STEM, would have done differently had he not been such a nerd. A super genius nerd at Einstein level, to be sure, but a nerd nonetheless.

Here's what's needed to bring girls into Coding: STEAM. It stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math. Art is very important for girls. I still remember Wolfram presentation, TED, I believe, where he presented his daughter's code for Polygonation of a Circle, or something like that. I was struck by one part of it where you can choose the color of the circle. Wolfram said, "yes, that's important," How can color be an important element in doing what is basically Learning Calculus? Answer: she's a girl!

No man will want to buy a shirt in every color. When you mention that somebody wants to buy a dress/bags/shoes in every color, what are the chances that such person is male? female? You guessed it: female.

There in lies the problem of teaching STEM instead of STEAM. Girls just aren't interested in learning Calculus. They may learn it, but they're not interested in it. So, what's interesting for girls? Art. That means products. Things that they can make and use and show off to other people. Without it, there's just no motivation. Before you complain, let me say that money isn't a good motivation. It's good to have it, but only up to a point.

James Damore noticed the problem. He wrote a paper about it, and was fired for his trouble. That's a bad move. It's not that James Damore is perfect. I think the paper could have been written in a more accesible way, gentler, more accomodating to the reader. However, the issues he raised are important, and deserve scrutiny. Wihtout people like him, there's just nobody to recognize the problem and thus the problem will go unsolved. Google's firing of James Damore does nothing good for the women at Google. Preach Diversity all you want, the proof is in the pudding. Has the situation regarding female coders improved? Or are they keep getting cycled over, with high turnover rate? There you have the answer.

So, when somebody ask me why girls don't code, I'd answer with a question: "Why would they want to?" This has been taken as insult, whereupon they then do ad hominem or personal attack upon me. And yet, the question is an important one. Why would girls want to code? If the answer is money, then I suggest that a career in financial industry is more beneficial to them.  The correct answer to the question is "because it's fun" or "because I can do great things with computers." So, you see, if the motivation isn't a personal satisfaction and ideals, they are probably good for doing something else, and that's true regardless of gender. Males who concentrates on getting tons of money coding aren't doing so good, either.

At this time, I need to make some generalization regarding sex differences, and that has been used as an excuse to censor me somewhat. But the distinction is important: when I say that these things are generally true, it means that there is an overlap in actuality, but that those things are generally true. Males and females aren't the same. For example, if they watch a popular movie that both agree are good, and asked what's so good about the movie, then males tend to focus on the action sequences, where as females tend to focus on the acting. Ignore that, and you will fail to create an environment where females prosper. That's why people like James Damore are so important, not because the paper he wrote are so righteous, but because the issues he raised are crucial in recognizing the problem, and give hints as to how to go about solving the issue. If you are unwilling to even acknowledge that there is a difference between boys and girls, then your effort is bound to fail.

So, let's get back to the issue of teaching girl to code. What's wrong with them? The idea is correct, even noble, but the execution is very much flawed. You see, when I see the way they teach girls to code, I see them teaching the same way they teach boys to code: Math and plenty of it. Girls don't like math. They don't like puzzles. They like socializing and communication. So, the phrase "In order to be a good programmer, you need to be good at Math" is certainly uttered by male computer programmers. Female tend to be on the communication side. Grace Hopper:"Here is FORTRAN so that you don't have to worry too much about machine language and have an easier time programming the computer using a language that people can use easily!" See the difference?

I don't believe that anyone would argue that Grace Hopper is a bad coder, nor Ada Lovelace for that matter. But I just don't see the acknowledgement that their skills lies not in coding, but in language. Ada Lovelace just happens to be good at math, but when she wrote down her programs, it wasn't in machine code. It was in a form that people can read. That is the difference. One is focused on Math; the other, Language.

I would like to see a change in the course of materials in teaching girls to code: Less Frogger and Flappy Bird. More IF and RPG. Basically, less single player action game, and more story-based multi-player experience. Until that is done, there's just no good answer to "Why would girls want to code?"

If you really want to have girls to enjoy coding, and therefore code for life, then it will takes more than just having Flappy Bird with Bow, or Frogger in every color. Therefore, figure out what girls want, and then give it to them. It's that simple.