“Most of the jobs of the future haven’t even been invented yet. We need to prepare kids now for a world we don’t even know about yet,” Ms. Adams stated. “This grant is one way to start that process, and the kids love it!”

“Pint-Sized Pi Programmers” is a Teacher Innovative Grant awarded to Deborah Adams at Falcon Pass Elementary. The main objective for the computer builds is to allow students to see the inner workings of a device they use all the time while learning to work in groups and see a project through from beginning to end. They have to use problem-solving skills, show teamwork, develop patience, and demonstrate the 4 C’s (critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity) in their work. Once the computers are complete, the students work on programming activities. Programming deals with logical thinking skills, math, problem-solving, and computational thinking which are all necessary skills for the future work force. The students show such a sense of pride when they can say, “See this computer? I MADE that!”