Daphne McMenemy is an educator, author, and speaker. She was recently awarded the Canadian Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence for her work with coding and robotics and STEM integration. Her first book, Gracie, is based on her personal experiences in the classroom. Gracie is a young girl whose learning is brought to life when her teacher introduces her to coding and a new way of thinking. As a child and young adult, Daphne was focused on becoming an educator with purpose, to improve the lives of her students and make an impact on their educational journey. As an educator for the past 18 years, she has created opportunity for children in her classroom to explore learning in innovative ways. Using STEM to engage children as young as kindergarten age in discovering learning through coding, she develops numeracy, literacy, and computational thinking skills through creative exploration. Her experience in the classroom has proven to support even the most hesitant learners in building confidence in their abilities and engaging in the learning process. Daphne is committed to building relationships, meeting students where they are, appreciating each individual, and finding opportunity to engage and motivate students in creative, innovative ways. Her newest venture allows her an extensive creative outlet as Managing Director of Code Breaker Inc.
When our youngest students are introduced to coding and robotics, not only are we reaching a variety of learners, but we are giving our students opportunities to build those ever important soft skills - risk-taking, problem-solving, perseverance to name a few. It is our responsibility as educators to give our youngest learners experiences and opportunities to step outside their comfort zone and take those risks that allow them to discover their passion. That passion may just be computer science.
Engage your students with technology and watch as they become thinkers, innovators, problem solvers, and creators, all while developing a growth mindset. Exposing our youngest students to computer science will change your pedagogy and create a positive and engaging environment for all learners. Learn how to create an environment for innovation and foster a lifelong love of learning through the integration of coding and robotics throughout your entire program.