Different ways to use the Code Club projects

Code Club should be flexible and set up in the way that best suits the club leaders and the young people taking part. The projects are there to help you structure the sessions and provide content, but how they are used is up to you.

If your Code Club will be running online sessions, check out our ‘Best practice for running an online coding session’ webinar, which gives you practical approaches that clubs have tried and tested, to help you run fun, engaging online sessions.

Here are a few thoughts about the different ways that you could organise your sessions around the Code Club projects:

One project each week, everyone does the same

The advantage of setting up your club this way is that it is very easy to help the club members with questions — and to get them to help each other.

The projects work on the principle of challenge-based learning, so you don't need to worry about the faster coders finishing early. Once the club members are done following the steps to create a basic version of the project, the project guide presents them with a challenge to extend what they've made.

Club members choose what they do

This is an interesting way to work if your club members and leaders are already quite confident coders. You will end up with lots of different creations at the end of the session, but you will also have more to prepare!

Club members choose from a preselected set

To strike a balance between the two options above, you could try giving the club members the option to choose one of number of different projects (three options work well, for example).

In my club, we spend half a term working through Code Club projects in order. As the projects get more challenging, some children ask to spend an extra week on them, so at the end of each week we take a vote on whether we want to continue with the project or move on. — Tracy Gardner, Code Club leader, Oliver's Battery Primary School, Winchester

Personalising the projects

Once they understand the basics of the project, your club members will often want to personalise their coded creation by adding different sprites, colours, and backdrops. It's great to encourage this, as personalising the project will really help your club members take ownership of their work and feel proud of what they have created.

Be open to the young people at your club personalising their projects. For some, having the opportunity to put their own style on their game and personalise it can make a world of difference to their engagement. When you allow the young people to make the projects their own, they start to see coding as a creative process and to understand that can be truly life-changing. — Lorna Gibson, Code Club leader, Wormit Primary School, Fife

Discussion

How do you think you will use the Code Club projects in your club? If you are already running a club, what is your approach? Does it work well?

Click the comments link below to add your ideas and recommendations.