Learning Together: The GeoLatinas Coding Group

Edited by Sarah Jaye Oliva

Programming is a vital skill to have as a geoscientist. As we delve into sophisticated research questions, we need specialized tools to analyze and manage huge amounts of data to help solve problems and explore ideas. The GeoLatinas Coding Group initiative was born out of the idea to provide this widely-needed skill toolset to the members of the Latinas in Geoscience organization.

Response to a recognized need

The culture of academia is one centered around being self-taught, and although that may be standard for some academics, it does not necessarily apply to everyone. It is especially difficult to try to learn a new skill in a language not native to one’s own. 

With several GeoLatinas colleagues, together, we came to the conclusion that, not only is programming a vital skill to have, but also that our organization is uniquely poised to host a community-driven learning experience that is sensitive to and representative of our Latino culture. What does this mean? All of the material we offer is in both English and Spanish. In this way, we provide a welcoming environment to learn to code for all GeoLatinas, regardless of one’s level of comfort with either English or Spanish. To maintain consistency, we provide two coding sessions a week (in Spanish) where we go over programming in Python. 

Each week, we focus on learning a new Python library and how to use it in both Spyder and Jupyter Notebook, moreover, we explore the use of various existing learning materials and resources. We focus specifically on developing skills with Python libraries as these can help with participants’ respective work in academia or industry. We choose which libraries to teach based on interest in the group. To date, we have covered pandas, matplotlib, numpy, and seaborn.

Collaborative learning

The coding sessions are “taught” by me, but it very much is a group driven learning effort, where we all participate and contribute. I begin every session by reminding the group that I am not a Python expert in any way, shape, or form. When someone asks me a question that I do not know the answer to, I first ask whether anybody in the group might know the answer already. If not, then we turn to Google to learn the answer, and further discuss any potential interpretations. 
In these sessions, we use practice codes, and together we go over and explain each line of code. We then later manipulate the functions to arrive at different resulting answers. Learning Python together by practicing codes has helped us develop our skills tremendously.

Honest and effective

I have come to the realization that learning together and learning by teaching creates an environment that provides us with a sense of confidence. I have observed in the coding sessions that most of us are very comfortable admitting we do not know something. Or if something is unclear, we do not shy away from expressing uncertainty. 
We have structured the group to make it as welcoming and inclusive as it can be. To date, there are at least 10 participants who regularly attend the weekly meetings and participate in discussions through our Slack workplace, and our numbers are growing. I am proud of how far the coding group has come in the few months that it has been in existence. There is a certain stigma and fear associated with coding for the first time, but with this group, we are changing that perspective.  The success of our GeoLatinas Coding Group initiative shows that with a welcoming environment and a wonderful support system, any topic can become an enjoyable learning experience.

Get Involved!

If you are interested in joining our Coding Group, please register to become a GeoLatinas member at https://geolatinas.weebly.com/get-involved.html, go to the members-only Slack workspace, and join the #coding_group channel to stay up to date with all sessions and events in relation to the coding group. We hope to see you there! To learn more about other GeoLatinas initiatives, follow us on Twitter @GeoLatinas, Facebook @GeoLatinasFace, and Instagram @GeoLatinas.