Top tips for teaching 9- to 13-year-olds
Some of you taking this course are already experienced educators or facilitators, but for some of you, Code Club will be the first time you interact with young people in an educational context. So, what should you expect, and how can you prepare?
In the article below, Tracy Gardner, Content and Curriculum Manager for Raspberry Pi and Code Club leader, tells you her top tips for working with 9- to 13-year-olds.
First of all, if you're feeling nervous, remember this: Code Club–aged children are generally very welcoming to an adult who has come along to help them with coding, so don’t worry — they won’t be trying to catch you out!
It’s fine to chat with children about things they’re interested in (e.g. football, music, horses), they don’t need to be coding 100% of the time. Children are often motivated by working on projects that are related to their interests, so try and steer their enthusiasm into their coding.
What's your name, Miss?
Think about what you want the children to call you, and tell them when you introduce yourself. Some volunteers prefer to use their first name, others a more formal Miss/Mister/Doctor.
Curiosity
Some children are incredibly curious. This is a great characteristic when directed towards coding, but can lead to questions you’d rather not answer. At some point, you’ll probably be asked how much you earn! Don't be offended, but also don't feel you have to answer.
Don’t be afraid to tell children to get on with coding if they are getting distracted too much though — the environment should be fun but also focused on the task in hand.
You don't have to know everything
It’s healthy for the learners to know that you yourself don’t know everything, so don’t worry if children ask a question you can’t immediately answer. It’s fine to say "I don’t know, let’s try and find out".
When children are working on challenges, or on projects they have come up with, you may find that you don’t immediately understand the problem they have. Get them to describe the problem carefully, and talk through problem-solving techniques. Often children manage to solve their own problems once they explain them to someone else (or even something else!), and if not, you can help them find a first step towards resolving the problem.
Keeping everyone safe
If children try to discuss things that are not appropriate for their age group (such as video games for older children), then explain that that’s not a suitable subject for Code Club, and let the Club leader know.
Make sure you understand the safeguarding rules in operation at your venue. If you’re ever unsure about what to do in a situation, involve the venue host immediately.
Discussion
Those of you on the course who are experienced educators: what advice can you share? And those of you who are less experienced, feel free to ask advice in the discussion too. Click Comments to share your thoughts and questions.