All GCL students use Swift Playgrounds for iPad, and ‘Everyone can Code’ to learn coding. Students can see the real-world relevance of various challenges in puzzle and problem-solving, because of Swift Playgrounds. Students are encouraged to build their own playgrounds from scratch. This nurtures a wonderful sense of creativity because pupils are able to start with a blank template and use whatever code and media that is available to them.
A lunch-time Swift Playgrounds club is proving to be extremely popular. During these sessions, pupils from senior year groups can be found helping pupils from the junior years with writing and sampling code to challenge all learners in problem-solving - an essential part of our vision to empower learners to have the critical thinking skills they need for the world they live in when they leave Gaelcholáiste Luimnigh.
Students bring code to life using Spheros and Microbits. Experiencing their code move objects is very empowering and bring real excitement through active learning.
Several of our teachers have earned their Apple Teacher Badges in Swift Playgrounds on both iPad and MacBook.
Teacher Naomi Carroll tell us about the invaluable problem solving skills learned in Coding Week. Each student, every year is given the time and space to delve into coding and expand their mind through critical thinking.
