Friday Coding was an after-school program that ran from September 29 to December 15, 2017, spanning a period of 10 weeks. It provided a valuable opportunity for twenty enthusiastic 4th and 5th graders to dive into the world of coding. The program kicked off and concluded at the SLE playground.

Our approach was dynamic and engaging, incorporating a mix of unplugged group activities, self-paced code.org curriculum (ranging from courses D to F, depending on the students’ abilities), and other coding and engineering-related exercises. Throughout the program, students were actively encouraged to collaborate, pooling their skills and knowledge to solve problems and support one another.

Parents appreciated the convenience of picking children up after work, marking the start of their weekend.

Time was divided as

  • 3:15pm - 4:15pm - Lesson / Unplugged Activity
  • 4:15pm - 4:30pm - Break (playground / snack)
  • 4:30pm - 5:30pm - Code.org online activity

The purpose of Friday Coding was to implement a highly accessible curriculum that could be easily utilized in SLE classroom settings, serving as a valuable resource for future coding endeavors. (It was also initiated in response to a student’s expressed desire to learn more about coding.)

Lessons Learned

  • Keep it at their level. The initial Lesson 1, focusing on computational computing’s math, proved to be too challenging for some students. While those who grasped the concepts were somewhat excited, those who struggled felt discouraged initially.
  • Identify which groups work well together and be mindful of potential conflicts among certain students. Flexibility is key in creating a harmonious learning environment.
  • Maintain classroom discipline whenever necessary, ensuring a conducive atmosphere for effective learning.
  • Allocate sufficient time for online activities and resist the urge to grant too much free time too quickly. Instead, offer easier lessons to students who may be genuinely struggling.
  • Familiarize yourself with the sequencing and topics of each lesson, allowing you to redirect students to appropriate alternative lessons when needed.
  • Ensure that students can easily log in via the classroom system or have additional “student login cards” printed out as backups.
  • For advanced students, be flexible in allowing and encouraging the use of Scratch. However, establish ground rules and promote collaborative projects involving two or more students.
  • Prioritize completing at least some of the online activities beforehand, as this will enhance your ability (or that of your helpers) to assist the students effectively.
  • Observe and gauge which students thrive in logic-based activities like Play Lab and which excel in grasping mathematical concepts through the Artist lessons.
  • When teaching spreadsheet-related skills, proceed slowly through the steps, ensuring students grasp each stage effectively. Consider gathering students on the rug periodically to assess their progress and allow them to assist one another.
  • As we were beta testing Course F, minor issues with the platform emerged. The main concern was that the functions coding activities placed excessive emphasis on puzzles, rather than reinforcing the fundamental principles and applications of functions.