"Coding" Around the School

[Danielle_McCoy]

I am participating in day #2 of my professional development course and this photograph was presented…

This really sparked my curiosity! What other areas within your classroom or in your school building could you visually represent that may go along with teaching important procedures and routines at the beginning of the school year? I love the connection of procedures/routines and coding (even if the students might not know what coding looks like at this point of the school year, especially for the younger learners)

@Tina_Dietrich @Desiree_White-Price @Audra_Selkowitz @Aimee_DeFoe @Nicole_Champagne

[Audra_Selkowitz]

Oooh what a neat idea! I particularly love the specificity of < 3 seconds I feel like there are many start of the year routine building things that could be represented this way. The first one to come to mind are things like this:

You could easily turn that into a nested loop situation where if any of the conditions are False, you break the loop and stop!

[Tina_Dietrich]

@Danielle_McCoy @Audra_Selkowitz This makes me think of the book, “A Bad Case of the Tattle Tongue”. I used have a poster in my 3rd grade classroom something like this. You could create an if…then block code listing when or when not to tattle. For example:

• If a person is in danger…then you must warn someone.

• If the problem involves you…then take charge and try to solve it yourself first.

• If your problem is a “now” problem…then get help.

• If your problem is a “not now” problem…then wait until later.

• If the problem is not dangerous, and it does not involve you…then do not tattle…M.Y.O.B.

[Audra_Selkowitz]

I feel like there are also some neat visuals you could make for multi-step processes in the classroom, like packing up at the end of the day, or getting ready for lunch, or even just lining up (this was always a process - although these helped me immensely once I finally found them.)

For instance, for packing up - you could have a checklist basically, but presented in code form, to make sure kids had what they needed.

• drive to your cubby

• energize backpack to boost

• insert notebook
  insert folder
  insert lunchbox

• turn around

• drive to your desk

You could add these visuals to each students’ cubby or locker, and it gives them a way to be accountable for learning the routine, besides just having to rely on their working memory of verbal instructions (which can be a real challenge, particularly at the end of the day).

[Jason_McKenna]

T-shirts are another great idea. This was from the Illinois CS PD week back in July

[Jason_McKenna]

I’ve also seen them used a lot for classroom rules - like this:

[Danielle_McCoy]

I love the t-shirt idea! This would even be a great way for students to create their own code and learn how to heat press it, maybe during a social skills lesson!

[Tina_Dietrich]

I just made these posters for our schools. We use the 5P’s.

@Danielle_McCoy @Audra_Selkowitz @Aimee_DeFoe @Nicole_Champagne @Jason_McKenna

[Audra_Selkowitz]

Those are great @Tina_Dietrich!! I feel like you could also do something like this for simple classroom routines - like packing up at the end of the day, or getting ready for lunch, or even washing hands in the bathroom!

Visuals to aid in the verbal reminders for these things (particularly for younger students at the beginning of the year) can be so so helpful.

[Aimee_DeFoe]

How about this one:

Every year in my class I would introduce the “should I say it test”, encouraging kids to use these three questions to reflect on what they were about to say before they let the words escape from their mouths:

Is it true?
Is it kind?
Is it necessary?

I always put it on a poster in the front of my classroom. It really sparked some great discussions about when words are hurtful, motivations for saying things, etc. Sometimes using the word “helpful” instead of necessary was easier for students to wrap their heads around, so I used that word in my little code version.

[Audra_Selkowitz]

I LOVE that @Aimee_DeFoe! Particularly the idea of helpful/necessary. The simple question of “Are you trying to be helpful or hurtful?” can sometimes be incredibly powerful in helping students (and even adults) think about not only the content of what they’re saying and the motivation, but also the way it’s being presented.

[Danielle_McCoy]

This would be great for the first few weeks of school and even during morning circle time!

[Evgeny_Albutov]

I am hoping to bring awareness and spark curiosity using a similar format. Our program officials starts next year. Looking forward to sharing what students’ and staff’s reactions are towards this format.

[Aimee_DeFoe]

Welcome to the PD+ Community, @Evgeny_Albutov ! We look forward to hearing about your new program in the months to come.