C is for Code

The most popular Maths station in my class at the moment?  The Coding Station - though symmetry did give it a good run for its money!  And before you think, well this is not for me, I don't know coding - neither did I!  I got one or two steps ahead of the students at the beginning and now journey along with them.

Why do it?  Well, talk about making Maths relevant usually throws up the truism that it needs to relate to the real world.

 For the 7 and 8 year olds in my class, technology is the real world.  Unlike adults - some - who are still in awe of it, they never question its relevance, usefulness or pervasiveness!

I am lucky enough to have an iPad for each of the children working at that station on any particular day and have structured the stations so that the  Coding Station is a weekly experience for every child. Having researched some of the apps available, I settled on Hopscotch as being most suitable for the age group.  Though we will use other apps as we go along. 

Initially the children played around with the app - the novelty of having an iPad was hugely motivating but it was noticeable how they randomly selected programming blocks and, I suspected, didn't make connections between individual commands and effect. They were just having fun. 

Fun is a great motivator.  They wanted to know more.  They wanted to produce something meaningful.

The Task Cards 

For each student to have a specific objective during each lesson I made some tried and tested Task Cards. Incorporating curriculum objectives was easy:

Higher Order Thinking 
Reasoning
Logic
Sequence 

and I threw in............. 

Shapes 

for good measure. 

The cards are numbered and the tasks progressively challenging. Step by step instructions guide the students onto completing programmes in which they draw shapes - triangles, squares and rectangles to begin.  Later tasks challenge them to finish an incomplete programme.  To do this they have to think in smaller, sequential and manageable steps - exactly the skills they need when tackling: 

Problem Solving 

Observing the students in those first days of coding was a little nerve wracking.  Were we wasting precious time?  They treaded gingerly at first - almost afraid to try new things, in case they got it wrong. 

The fear of being wrong is a great inhibitor and a barrier to learning. 

Well, coding has fairly debunked that notion once and for all.  

Collaboration is key.  Before coming to me for help, the students have first to approach their fellow students. The class now has some acknowledged experts, including some who have grown in confidence with the social currency they have gained!

Recording Maths activities is central to mathematical development so each Task Card comes with a worksheet.  

Coding is the new literacy and collaboration encourages communication.  Simply talking through problems and solutions - well that's simply: 

Deep Learning. 

At home technology can be the source of tension between parents and kids.  Parents boast that  their offsprings are whizz kids, secretly wish that they will be the next Steve Jobs,  while simultaneously lamenting the loss of childhood to computer screens.  Kids are self declared computer experts but it is mostly the case that their expertise relates to gaming tools.

Technology in school must be a positive, productive experience with an acknowledged learning outcome.

Coding ticks all the boxes!

Annette Black