Coding Principles for Teachers

I am a Business and ICT teacher in Finn Valley College, Stranorlar, Co. Donegal. As our school recently introduced two new short courses for Junior Cycle, Digital Media Literacy and ICT with Coding I felt I needed to gain a solid understanding of the concept of coding so that I could use this in my classroom. I saw the course as an opportunity to invest in my own learning. With so many demands on my personal and professional life the only way to do this was through the distance learning associated with this course. I found the course very manageable as we were only required to be on line on four different occasions. I set aside ample time each Thursday night to contribute to the VLE and quite enjoyed the online discussions with other teachers. The two on-campus sessions allowed us to be more ‘hands-on’ in the great facilities offered by LYIT; it also gave us a chance to meet other teachers and share good practices.

I now feel more confident adopting many of the concepts learned on this course into my own classroom. Coding lends itself very neatly to learner engagement, problem solving, decision making and peer mentoring, many of the skills I want to instil in my own students. The fact that the course is accredited is certainly a bonus!

To upskill myself in relation to the area of coding and how I could integrate it into my classroom practice to make it more learning more exciting and engaging for the students. I believe that having students involved in computer programming allows them an opportunity to develop their critical thinking and problem solving and skills.

I found that the Scratch platform was a great choice to deliver this course as it is something that the students themselves are familiar with. As a result, it was something that could be brought directly to the classroom environment. I also found that it very beneficial for students in assisting them with their numeracy.

The teaching approach incorporated in the structure of this course appealed to me as it allowed for flexibility and this was one of the main reasons I choose to participate in it. The preparatory support and the face to face sessions ensured that everyone was supported throughout which was very well structured with clarity of instruction given. I really benefitted in having the opportunity to communicate with others through the online forum.

I feel the LYIT campus itself is one of the best in the country for modern equipment and facilities. I would highly recommend this course as a strong grounding and provision of basic knowledge of the coding principles and applications.

My name is Kelvin Slowey and I am a newly qualified post-primary teacher currently teaching in St. Joseph’s Secondary School, Castlebar, Co. Mayo. My teaching subjects are History and CSPE. I decided to undertake the ‘Certificate in Coding Principles for Teachers’ in LYIT as I saw it as a fantastic opportunity to upskill and get an introduction to a subject that will be at the forefront of our education system in the not too distant future. In terms of my own teaching subjects, using code for the development of simple games to teach students concepts in a different way is a fantastic prospect. In just a few weeks I have seen some of the possibilities of how coding can be introduced to schools, both primary and post-primary, and the possibilities really are endless.

The preparatory sessions are great and they give you a chance each week to get to grips with the material and Dr. Nigel McKelvey is always on hand to answer any questions or queries you may have. The face to face sessions in LYIT are great as well. They are easy going and we get to put our learning into practice in the fantastic facilities in LYIT. The sessions are flexible and Dr. McKelvey works hard to meet everyone’s individual needs. I would recommend this course to any teacher that is serious about their continuous professional development. There are no prior learning requirements and it caters to all ability levels.

I would highly recommend the course Coding Principles for Teachers to any colleague looking to initiate study in/further develop themselves in the area of coding. At present, I am Principal of a seven teacher primary school and work in the area of SEN (Special Educational Needs). To be very honest, the whole area of coding is very new to me and would not be an area that I would have any previous experience of teaching in. With news of coding possibly forming part of the new revised mathematics curriculum for primary school, I felt, as leader of learning in my school, that it was a definite area in which I needed CPD.

When I initially commenced the course, I was slightly apprehensive of what the course entailed and if I would be out of my depth. Having almost completed the course now however, I can safely say that the course suits professionals of all capabilities – from basic to highly competent. The face to face days and online discussion forum affords participants the opportunity to learn from each other and share examples of best practice. The course format was very manageable and participants were given a high degree of flexibility in completing weekly tasks. The course most definitely equipped me with all the basic knowledge required to begin teaching SCRATCH in my school and in particular, our course facilitator was of huge help – always encouraging and pointing participants to a wealth of excellent resources.