2024 Create & Learn Computer Science Workshop Facilitator (Berkeley)

PLEASE APPLY TO THIS ROLE ON THE CREATE & LEARN WEBSITE: [LINK] 

(DO NOT APPLY USING THE “APPLY FOR THIS JOB” BUTTON BELOW) 

About SMASH and Our Philosophy:

SMASH is committed to increasing racial equity in K-12 computer science (CS) education and the next generation of our workforce by building interest, knowledge, and aspirations in computing among underrepresented identities in the field. 

After operating for more than 20 years and inspiring thousands of students of color to pursue careers in STEM, the SMASH Board has spent the better part of 2022-2023 reimagining SMASH in alignment with educational and economic shifts.

In this next phase of the organization, SMASH aspires to engage even more students from underrepresented backgrounds through a more intensively CS-focused curriculum and across a wider variety of formats. Innovative in-person and virtual programs aim to provide early exposure to CS concepts and careers to students of all ages, with deep-impact programming specifically for high school students.

Programming will continue to center on SMASH Academy, a three-week, cost-free, residential on-campus summer experience which helps students develop critical thinking, civic and social awareness, and leadership skills. Initially available at five partner sites across the country, this next phase of Academy supports rising 11th and 12th graders in developing CS skills and credentials.

With the support of partners, SMASH plans to offer additional in-person experiences for high school and college students with Hackathons and Open Innovation Challenges, which will provide early exposure to computer science (CS), empower youth to address pressing community challenges through CS, design thinking, and rapid prototyping.

To bring the SMASH experience to a national audience, we also plan to develop digital programs to support students nationwide in developing their CS knowledge and support their college and career navigation journey. SMASH digital resources will be open to students nationwide, while in-person programming serves students throughout the Bay Area, greater Atlanta, Detroit, and Boston regions.

This is a pivotal time for SMASH as SMASH builds on the success of our programs. Working at SMASH is about rapid growth, grit, personal commitment, accountability, and courage to challenge the status quo. If you have what it takes to change the computer science landscape, we want to hear from you.

SMASH is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization operating under the umbrella of the Kapor Center family of organizations.

About Create and Learn:

As a CS Facilitator you will be working with the Create & Learn platform. Create & Learn offers top-quality live online Computer Science classes for thousands of students all around the world, grades 2 through 12. More than just teaching children to code, its cutting-edge curriculum delivers on a wide spectrum of computer science education, is ready to use and uniquely designed by technology experts from Google, Apple, and more.

Position Description

Reporting to the Create & Learn, the Computer Science Workshop Facilitator will play an integral role in delivering and sustaining the transformative learning experience that SMASH Scholars need to pursue, persist, and succeed in CS. Computer Science Workshop Facilitators will facilitate a group of around 25 scholars through project-based learning. 

The CS Workshop is a scholar-centered course that allows scholars to develop CS skills by way of projects and challenges. Scholars will work in various configurations including whole-group, small group, and individually while solving coding challenges using basic skills in Scratch or Python. In addition to facilitating scholars’ development of CS skills, facilitators will support scholars in understanding the importance of CS as a work readiness skill and ways in which CS applies to scholars’ career interests. Strong CS Workshop Facilitators will empower scholars to take ownership of their own learning and teach through inquiry rather than providing answers for scholars. This is a shift from the traditional model of education and requires letting scholars lead, and stepping in to guide in the right direction when necessary.

This is a 3-week (July 5th- July 19th) assignment, with an additional commitment of training prior to launch. Facilitators will need to embrace and model flexibility, adaptability, and a solution-oriented mindset. Strong preference will be given to candidates with the ability to conduct in-person teaching in Berkeley, CA, Atlanta, GA, Ann Arbor, MI, or Bos