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fliptop writes:

Over at ACM Mark Guzdial makes the case that Teaching > Genetics, the so-called "Geek Gene" doesn't exist, and gives some advice on how to teach students who believe they're just "not wired" for programming:

The most dangerous part of the "Geek Gene" hypothesis is that it gives us a reason to stop working at broadening participation in computing. If people are wired to program, then those who are programming have that wiring, and those who don’t program must not have that wiring. Belief in the "Geek Gene" makes it easy to ignore female students and those from under-represented minority groups as simply having the wrong genes. The problem is that those who seem like they have a "Geek Gene" or who are well-prepared are typically the students who have had privileges, who have had the opportunity to develop ability in computing before they enter our classroom. We need to teach as if anyone can learn to program in order to broaden participation in computing and develop a more diverse computing community and workforce.

...

The belief that students are born or have "different internal wiring" to be a programmer ignores the value of the teacher. A 2012 OECD report put the point in two words: "Teachers Matter." Hours of practice with a good teacher are far more likely to contribute to expertise than hours of practice alone. Rather than worry about our students’ genetics, we should be thinking about how to make ourselves more effective as teachers.