Educator Spotlight – Meet Michelle Pealo!
8 February, 2024
“For the past 19 years, I’ve dedicated myself to teaching and learning in southeastern Virginia. I started my career as an elementary classroom teacher and then specialized in teaching computer science to elementary students. Beyond my community, I share my experience and grow as a curriculum writer with CodeVA and serve as the vice president of the Virginia chapter of the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA).
“My approach to CS education also involves helping students understand their own cognitive processes, promoting self-awareness, and enabling creative self-expression.”
“What inspires me as an educator is the commitment to teaching children not just to consume technology, but to control it, encouraging kids to be active creators rather than passive consumers. My approach to CS education also involves helping students understand their own cognitive processes, promoting self-awareness, and enabling creative self-expression. I love that my role allows me to shape the minds of future generations and instill in them the belief that they have the power to shape the world through technology and their own unique abilities.”
“Computer science education is important at all levels for so many reasons. First, helping students understand how computers work makes them less mysterious and thus more accessible. Yes, there is a novelty factor when it comes to using technology for engagement, but I see CS as providing a context for students to learn about their own thought processes. Examining how computers analyze inputs and break down tasks gives students insight and language to describe their own metacognition. When I started integrating CS into my 2nd grade class a decade ago, I noticed that the kids greatly improved their problem-solving strategies and communication skills and applied these to math, language arts, and other subjects, a trend I continue to see today. CS education also provides students with additional tools for creative expression, allowing you to see a peek into the worlds inside their heads.”
“Yes, there is a novelty factor when it comes to using technology for engagement, but I see CS as providing a context for students to learn about their own thought processes.”
“I am proud of the computing culture we are establishing at Carrollton Elementary. The students are excited to create and share their ideas. I love coaching my school’s WHRO Great Computer Challenge teams, mentoring them as they build programs in Scratch and ScratchJr. We also coordinate family coding events where students teach their families about computer science concepts using a variety of coding platforms based on student suggestions and interests. Seeing caregivers and children working together and talking about computer science makes my heart sing.”
– Michelle Pealo,
Elementary CS Teacher and Coach, Isle of Wight County Public Schools
Vice President, CSTA Virginia