Integrating Computer Science into Chile’s High Schools JAMIE KENT
Mar 20, 2017
Integrating Computer Science into Chile’s High Schools
JAMIE KENT
Start-up Chile
MOVE OVER SILICON VALLEY.
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Start-up Chile is a government initiative that recruits foreign entrepreneurs to establish early stage companies within the country
§ Goal is to grow Chile’s technology sector
§ Start-up Chiles gives winning participants funding in exchange for the company’s relocation to Chile
Objective: Grow Chile’s technology sector, diversifying the economy
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Work Space
Start-Up Chile uses a different model to incentivize entrepreneurs
Traditional venture funding Start-up Chile
Funding
A percentage of company
A board memberposition
Venture capital firms give…
In return, start-ups give them…
Funding
Stay in Chile(6 months)
Speak at events and mentor
Start-up Chile gives… In return, start-ups will…
Visa
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Start-up Chile offers 3 types of funding
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Who is receiving this funding?
http://www.economist.com/node/21564589, https://www.marsdd.com/systems-change/advanced-energy-centre/news/talent-innovation-no-nationality-start-chile/
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Although Start-up Chile has been successful in attracting foreign entrepreneurs, the program lacks a plan for training Chilean students.
Source:
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Of 9 Entrepreneurial framework conditions, Chile’s worst score is in schools.
Source: GEM 2015/16 Global Report
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Entrepreneurship education at school stage
Internal market dynamics
R&D transfer
Entrepreneurial finance
Internal market burdens or entry regulation
Government policies: support and relevance
Commercial and legal infrastructure
Entrepreneurship education at post school stage
Government policies: taxes and bureaucracy
Cultural and social norms
Government entrepreneurship programs
Physical infrastructure
GEM score for Chile, out of 9 possible points
2015-2016 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Ranking of Chile Across 9 Entrepreneurial Framework Conditions
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Of 9 Entrepreneurial framework conditions, Chile’s worst score is in schools.
Source: GEM 2015/16 Global Report
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Entrepreneurship education at school stage
Internal market dynamics
R&D transfer
Entrepreneurial finance
Internal market burdens or entry regulation
Government policies: support and relevance
Commercial and legal infrastructure
Entrepreneurship education at post school stage
Government policies: taxes and bureaucracy
Cultural and social norms
Government entrepreneurship programs
Physical infrastructure
GEM score for Chile, out of 9 possible points
2015-2016 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor Ranking of Chile Across 9 Entrepreneurial Framework Conditions
Entrepreneurship education at school stage
What are the most effective methods of teaching technical skills like computer science in Chile?
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My research will consist of three phases.
Phase Research Question Objectives
IWhat skills are most needed in start-ups?
IIHow are these skills currently being taught in schools?
III What are the most effective methods for teaching?
Quantify the skill gap in Chile.
Recruit education decision makers to revise the curriculum to better prepare Chilean students for technical careers
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The majority of my time will be devoted to studying teaching methods.
Phase Research Question Timeline
I What skills are most needed in start-ups?
IIHow are these skills currently being taught in schools?
III What are the most effective methods for teaching?
MONTHS
1 month
1 month
7 months
Phase I: Understanding the skill gap
WHAT SKILLS ARE MOST NEEDED IN CHILEAN START-UPS?
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What skills are most needed at Chilean start-ups?
§ I will employ two methods to holistically understand the human capital needs of startups
§ Method I: Qualitative analysis- Observe interviews
§ Method II: Quantitative analysis - Survey human resource personnel
§ Objective: Understand the skills start-ups are struggling to hire for
Start-ups in Valparaiso and Santiago
Objective: Understand the skills start-ups are struggling to hire for
Phase II: Identify top-performing schools as candidates for a controlled experiment on teaching methods
WHAT IS CURRENTLY WORKING WITHIN THE CHILEAN EDUCATION SYSTEM?
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I’ll analyze publicly available data from the Agencia de Calidad de la Educación to identify top-performing schools
§ The data contains test performance, as well as attributes like student to teacher ratio.
§ I’ll perform regression analysis to identify correlations between school attributes and test performance
Objective: Select a short list of top-performing schools to conduct further research on computer science teaching methods
Test scores of high schools in Concepción
Phase III: Case studies of top-performing schools
HOW CAN WE COST-EFFECTIVELY TEACH SKILLS LIKE COMPUTER SCIENCE?
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What are the most effective methods of teaching technical skills like computer science throughout Chile?
§ I will conduct 10 case studies of high-performing secondary schools
§ Method I: Qualitative observation- Observe classrooms- Interview teachers
- Objective: Explain high performance (Phase II)
§ Method II: Controlled experiment- Teach control groups of students with a different lesson plan- Test comprehension
Objective: Qualitatively explain high performance (identified in Phase II)
Objective: Identify methods of teaching technical skills (identified in Phase I) VALPARAISO, ATACAMA, LOS LAGOS REGIONS
Professor Castañeda and the University of Santiago, Chile
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Professor Castañeda will help connect me with education decision makers
§ Professor Castañeda has contacts at the Ministry of Education
§ I’ll audit graduate-level classes in computer science at the University of Santiago, Chile
RESEARCH MENTOR
Objective: Understand the Chilean approach to engineering
Objective: Influence education decision makers
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I plan to integrate with the community by organizing sporting events for participating students
Publish and distribute my research findings online
Influence education decision makers to incorporate technical skills into the curriculum
I hope to expand upon the early success of Start-up Chile by closing the gap between high school education and job attainment
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Follow along!
Website coming soon
Follow along!
Questions?