Useful Coding Tips for Young Programmers

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The purpose of this blog is discuss how the skills you learn in the classroom can be applied to an after school coding program. 

Insight from a Coding Classroom

Learning to code doesn’t need to be difficult! Students learn a variety of skills throughout their time at school that can help make learning to program a breeze. These skills can vary depending on the subject being taught. However, some major skills that you might find in most classrooms are:

 

  • Problem-solving

  • Decision making

  • Communication

  • Collaboration

  • Leadership

  • Critical thinking

  • Creative thinking

These skills can also be applied to an after school program setting. Problem-solving and decision making are both useful for deciding how to use the knowledge you learn and apply it to future projects. Communication, collaboration, and leadership are all helpful when both asking for help from teachers and other students and for helping others learn the material. Critical thinking and creative thinking are both skills crucial for figuring out solutions for problems that aren’t inherently obvious.

Happy Code Club Students Coding

Upon my time working as a coding instructor, I have seen these skills come into play on several occasions. On time, I met a student who was already quite familiar with the material we were learning in Roblox Studio. This student took initiative and used his communication, collaboration, and leadership skills to help teach his classmates how to create spawn locations in their projects. Another time, I had a student who wanted to make it snow in his Roblox Studio program. Instead of telling him how I would do it, I let him talk me through his thought process, step-by-step, on how he would go about making it snow. This student used problem-solving and decision making skills to eventually teach himself how to program snowfall in his project.

So why are these skills important for students to learn? Learning to code may come easily to some, and not so easily to others. Regardless of your current skill level, practicing these classroom skills will make learning to code, or any new subject, significantly easier.

Sources

“Critical Skills Classroom.” Antioch New England, www.antioch.edu/new-england/resources/centers-institutes/antioch-center-school-renewal/critical-skills-program/.

“Seven Skills Students Need for Their Future.” Asia Society, asiasociety.org/education/seven-skills-students-need-their-future.

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Happy Coding with Brittany-

GRADES 1-2 STARTS DECEMBER 15. EVERY TUESDAY AT 6 PM FOR 4 WEEKS. FREE FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LIBRARIES, HOMESCHOOLS.

GRADES K

Hello everyone! My name is Brittany, and I am a Co-founder and instructor for Happy Code Club. In this class, we are going to learn the basics of Scratch to start your coding journey! We will break down coding concepts in a way that is easier to understand through a series of fun, creative, and engaging projects that are all created the way you want! It is your creative masterpiece. Students will have access to a recording for each class in case they want to rewatch the class or weren’t able to attend on a specific day. We will all learn coding together!
Technology required: Wifi, Chromebook, pc, or mac, two button mouse is recommended. (no tablets please). Registration is open through Dec 13 so don’t hesitate and register now. Please feel free to email brittany@happycodeclub.com if you have any questions, comments, or concerns!

Happy Coding with Brittany-

GRADES K STARTS DECEMBER 15. EVERY TUESDAY AT 5 PM FOR 4 WEEKS. FREE FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS, LIBRARIES, HOMESCHOOLS

GRADES K

Hello everyone! My name is Brittany, and I am a Co-founder and instructor for Happy Code Club. In this class, we are going to learn programming through a very kid-friendly app and other resources to get their brains thinking about code. We will create a variety of projects using basic block codes and play games that focus on problem solving and critical thinking. This program is designed to be the very first step in their coding journey without being overwhelming or too
advanced! We will all learn coding together!
Technology required: Tablet only. Registration is open through Dec 13 so don’t hesitate and register now. Please feel free to email brittany@happycodeclub.com if you have any questions, comments, or concerns!

Happy Coding with Brittany-

Game Design with Scratch Jr.

Grades: 3-5

Introduction to programming with Scratch will show you around the interface and have you making a fun project in minutes. This easy to learn program is super fun as it allows you to create artistic characters, scenes, and objects and animate them with computer code.
If you are curious about what coding is or simply want to try something new, this is a fun class to try. See why millions of students from around the world are sharing their awesome creations on the Scratch platform. The creations students make range from Stories, Games, animations, music and more! Get your creativity hats on and come and check this out!

Technology Requirements: Chromebooks or PC or Mac with wifi and a two button mouse recommended.

Links to class tools used Scratch Zoom Client installation

Prerequisites: No previous experience necessary. Ability to use a two button mouse; ability to hold objects on the screen and move them with left mouse button and keyboarding isrecommended.

Happy Coding with Fernando-

Intro to Game Design in Scratch

Grades: 3-5

Introduction to programming with Scratch will show you around the interface and have you making a fun project in minutes. This easy to learn program is super fun as it allows you to create artistic characters, scenes, and objects and animate them with computer code.
If you are curious about what coding is or simply want to try something new, this is a fun class to try. See why millions of students from around the world are sharing their awesome creations on the Scratch platform. The creations students make range from Stories, Games, animations, music and more! Get your creativity hats on and come and check this out!
Technology Requirements: Chromebooks or PC or Mac with wifi and a two button mouse recommended. Links to class tools used Scratch Zoom Client installation
Prerequisites: No previous experience necessary. Ability to use a two button mouse; ability to hold objects on the screen and move them with left mouse button and keyboarding is recommended.

Happy Coding

Winter Dates: Nov 30 – Jan 28

This winter join students from other schools in a zoom class that you can take from your school or home.
This after school club is free for public schools classrooms Grades 3-5 and it will be run for 6-8 weeks in Winter and Spring of 2021 Taught by Happy Code Club teachers with experience in various subjects including Scratch, Python, codehs.com, code.org, Robotics and more.
Winter Dates: Nov 30 – Jan 28