From future to technology savviness, to problem solving skills, teaching students to code has a multitude of benefits. But jumping right into teaching coding, can be daunting for both teachers and students. To facilitate educators of primary classes, a workshop was conducted on 13th July 2019, by Heritage Xperiential Learning School, Gurugram, to introduce creative coding through storytelling methods.
The workshop was attended by Mrs Pooja Arora and Mrs Latika Bhasin, from the Junior wing.
The emphasis of the workshop was on the introduction to coding through stories, by creating a series of steps and eventually helping children in developing their logical thinking.
It enabled teachers to understand that for a long time, coding has been considered only in terms of computer science but in recent times,it is similar to the imaginative and narrative elements of fiction, in which a child learns the importance of sequence, structure and clarity of expression – three aspects of creative coding and storytelling.
During the workshop, teachers were given hands on experience to use tools like Cubetto Robot which is a screen less friendly wooden robot that teaches the basics of coding through adventure and hands on play.
This workshop was conducted by Kyung A Kelly Lee from South Korea, who also promoted their (ODINGA APP) that creates a safe digital environment for children with features like call and text control, app blocking, time management and activity report. Odinga app is designed by experts in the field of education, child development and psychology and complies with the guidelines set up by COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act).
Coding is perceived as very 'tough to learn'. This workshop helped everyone break the mental barrier that coding is a difficult exercise. Rather, it made learning, at a very early age how to code, a fun experience by involving children in various playful methods like storytelling, solving puzzles and mazes.
