The demand for stereotype-free computing courses for Elementary School Teachers

Abstract

From the discussion on the insertion of computational concepts in Basic Education in Brazil, there has been a growing demand for support to these teachers in the form of training courses in computing, whether offered by formal bodies or even by independent projects such as the university extension. If, on the one hand, the offer of these courses fulfills the role of helping Basic Education teachers in this challenge of integrating computational concepts in their classroom practice, on the other hand, these training courses also have the potential to engage teachers to attract their students to the area of ​​computing as a profession. We argue that because many girls are rarely exposed to content in this area in particular, and hearing quality clarifications from their teachers can spark previously unexplored curiosities. However, in order to fulfill this second role, it is necessary to discuss how these courses are approached in order to break with certain stereotypes, such as gender, which have long been perceived in this area. In this sense, this article highlights this demand for training courses in computing free of stereotypes, since it identifies a perception that is still stereotyped, a possible reflection of a clear lack of basic education teachers in training courses offered by the TIChers extension project.