In order to effectively incorporate coding into the classroom, the teacher needs to understand the basics of coding.
This section of the website will teach these basics using a visual block based programming language called Scratch. It is recommended for use by teachers (Adler & Kim, 2018) and in primary education [elementary settings] (Sáez-López, Roman-Gonzalez, & Vazquez-Cano, 2016) in order to learn the basics of coding and to develop computational thinking.
As you move through each part of the basics, you will witness strategies to effectively integrate coding into your classroom and some computational thinking concepts like data collection, data analysis, data representation, problem decomposition, abstraction, algorithm & procedures, automation, parallelization, and simulation (Barr & Stephenson, 2011) that students will practice as they code in the classroom.
Finally, this section has been designed to teach you the teacher how to code, but it could also be used as a guide to teach coding to your students. If you feel unsure, have no fear. Once students learn the basics, they quickly become the experts and create programs that amaze you. Click on the buttons below to learn the basics that every teacher should know.
Adler, R. F., & Kim, H. (2018). Enhancing future K-8 teachers’ computational thinking skills through modeling and simulations. Education and Information Technologies, 23(4), 1501-1514.
Barr, V., & Stephenson, C. (2011). Bringing computational thinking to K-12: What is involved and what is the role of the computer science education community?. Acm Inroads, 2(1), 48-54.
Sáez-López, J. M., Roman-Gonzalez, M., & Vazquez-Cano, E. (2016). Visual programming languages integrated across the curriculum in elementary school: A two year case study using “scratch” in five schools. Computers & Education, 97, 129-141.