Whether you are aware of the benefits of coding or are looking for a new activity to engage your students with, you may be considering bringing coding to your class. If you are not sure where to start, you are not alone. After-all, less than half of all public schools in the United States taught computer science in 2019. This post will address the most common hesitations teachers have when introducing computer programming for the first time and provide you with a solution. Using the following 5 tips, you will learn how to easily incorporate computer programming in the classroom, no matter the circumstance. Get ready to have any of your reservations as to why not teach coding disappear!
1. If you are short on time, try cross-curricular coding!
Cross-curricular coding activities combine coding with another educational subject. For example, students can use coding in a course that covers biology or the arts. This is a great option for teachers who cannot afford to take time out of the day to focus just on coding. These coding courses can be used in conjunction with another subject. If you are a math or physics teacher, CodeMonkey offers courses that combine coding with these subjects. CodeMonkey’s math and coding course, Dodo Does Math, is a fun program that requires basic coding knowledge as students write real code in order to solve different math puzzles where they need to help a Dodo bird retrieve its eggs. In CodeMonkey’s physics coding course, Moon Lander, students use code and 6-9th grade physics concepts in order to help a spaceship land safely.
2. If you don’t have the technology or access to a computer lab, go with unplugged coding!
Unplugged coding consists of learning coding in a real-life classroom environment rather than on the computer. There are a variety of unplugged coding activities that you can easily do with your class. These activities demonstrate different universal coding concepts. You can choose from a variety of activities here. If you have access to computers, but not enough for each student, you can try paired programming! By working in pairs, students can help brainstorm solutions to challenges together.
3. If you are short on funds, try an hour of code course
By signing up for a free teacher trial, you will get access to all of CodeMonkey’s Hour of Code courses for up to 30 students. You can access these courses year-round on CodeMonkey’s Hour of Code page. The courses only take an hour to complete, come with teacher notes and are relevant for grades K-8.
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4. If you don’t have a computer science background, try a course that doesn’t require prior coding experience!
Most of CodeMonkey’s courses do not require a background in computer science. CodeMonkey’s Coding Adventure is a course where any teacher, no matter the background, can successfully bring coding into the classroom. This works because students learn to code from the very first challenge in an intuitive game and teachers are provided with solutions to challenges and lesson plans that explain all covered computer programming topics.
5. If you are scared your students won’t be engaged, try a game development course
Such a course will not only hone in students’ inner coder, but they will finish with a complete game that they can then play and share with their peers! Game creation courses help guide students through the coding process and, at the end, they will have a game they coded to share with their friends and family.
Less than half of all public schools in the United States taught their students computer science in 2019. However, computer programming is becoming the #1 source of new wages. Early exposure to computer programming can greatly impact your students. It may seem hard at first, but you can change this statistic by bringing coding to your class and introducing your students to a subject that could help shape their future.
Bring coding to your school with CodeMonkey!
