Learning activities for secondary and post-secondary CS courses

In an educational environment meant to serve all students, consideration for diverse learning styles ought to be a prerequisite for our classroom presentations. Gifted teachers know it is their concern for each and every student's progress that precedes and makes possible their effectiveness. As most of us are aware, gender and ethnicity data regarding computer science degree recipients, as well as the extremely low numbers of minority and female faculty in this discipline, show an atrocious lack of diversity. We feel teaching methods which encourage and support students with diverse learning styles communicates the commitment and concern that faculty have for all students. It is this extra attention, as much as the actual activities themselves, which may make the difference to a student who is becoming discouraged. As an added benefit, these new approaches also make ideas more accessible to students, in general since concepts presented with a variety of methods increases each student's chance of understanding.