Q & A: Building a Community of Thinkers and Doers
Theresa Katz from CodeRVA high school talks about their innovative approach to education and applying Design Thinking in non-traditional classrooms.
When SingleStone launched Reverb in February, we made a commitment to reserving a few seats in each workshop to educators, veterans and employees of non-profits. After all, we can’t build an inclusive and sustainable community for thinkers and doers if ticket price is a barrier for these groups.
Theresa Katz of CodeRVA high school was our first guest participant. She attended our two-day Design Thinking with Mobius workshop in April and collaborated with other workshop participants from CarMax, Capital One, Pacific Life, Crutchfield and elsewhere. We recently sat down with Theresa to hear more about her participation in the workshop and her job at CodeRVA.
What is CodeRVA?
CodeRVA is a regional public high school that’s rethinking the use of time, space, and technology to provide opportunities for college and career readiness, especially in the area of computer science. Our vision is to support a diverse group of students as they develop the skills necessary to be independent leaders and lifelong learners.
CodeRVA students have the opportunity to graduate with a Virginia high school diploma, an associate’s degree from the community college system, industry certifications, and paid work experience in computer science-related fields.
We accept students on a lottery-based system. As an inclusive program, students from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. We have a diverse group of students.
What is your role there?
I’m the Academic Case Manager. I make sure all of our students stay on track with their priorities — attending project meetings on time, keeping up with schedules, maintaining coursework, etc. Another large part of my job is teaching students how to set goals for themselves, and how to measure progress towards success.
What does a typical day look like for a CodeRVA student?
Every day starts with a small-group “morning meetings” where we take attendance, order lunch and make daily announcements. There’s also a daily area of focus, such as goal-setting, career exploration, current events or character building. After the morning meeting, students start their day seated in a large open space so that they can collaborate. Students also know to check their calendars for any scheduled “breakout” sessions. Breakouts are small-group meetings led by content area teachers to offer supplemental instruction — it could be enrichment, remediation or a group project. In between breakouts, students work on their online coursework. Students have a 10-minute “brain break” during the day to recharge and refocus. They also have a 40-minute lunch period; clubs meet during lunch.
How do the students learn?
One of the things that makes CodeRVA Regional High School such a unique learning environment is that no day is routine. CodeRVA provides instruction in a blended learning model that combines online coursework and face-to-face instruction. It offers students an individualized and personalized learning opportunity so that they can move at their own pace.
Our internship program begins in the students’ junior year. Students will start by participating in a simulated internship, where they’ll learn necessary skills before going to work for a real company in their senior year.
What kind of internship opportunities does CodeRVA offer its students?
Initially, MAXX Potential will coordinate the student internships. The types of internship experiences include:
· Quality Assurance and Application Testing
· Front-end Web and Mobile App Development
· IT Operations
· Software Maintenance and Support
· Data Transformation and Content Migrations
You attended our two-day Design Thinking with Mobius workshop. What was the most helpful thing you learned?
Design Thinking with Mobius helps people focus on what really matters — outcomes that translate to value. I learned that when tackling a problem, I should start by focusing on one question: “How might we…?” The question assumes there are solutions; allows for different ideas and input; and suggests that we are solving the problem together — building on each other’s ideas. One of the quotes from the workshop that really resonated with me was, “Fail often to succeed sooner.” There is as much to be learned from our failures as there is from our successes.
How have you applied these learnings to your work?
My job centers around teaching our students how to set and manage goals. We are constantly measuring progress towards achieving a positive outcome, which is at the heart of Mobius.
One of CodeVA’s major focuses for this coming school year is project-based learning. I could see Design Thinking principles also being useful during the integration of our curriculum with project-based learning.
Interested in learning more about CodeRVA or participating in a Reverb workshop? Get in touch.
