Reflections on a Computational Thinking After School Club

I have always enjoyed doing after-school clubs. I think it is a great way for students to explore their passions and it gives the teacher and student a different way of relating to each other. I am always thinking of different clubs to facilitate and I usually do this by surveying the students to see what they are interested in.

Earlier this year I was looking to code a game for a phone. Looking online I came across GDevelop5. It is a game development program. After using it for a while and seeing that there are many tutorials available, I thought it would be a good thing to introduce to the students. 

So, I used that as the backdrop to the club. I called it "Coding Games on a MacBook" so that only Grade 5 and 6 students would join. (We are 1:1 starting in G5). 

The Plan

The plan was for them to work on the space shooter game. I chose this one because it had a tutorial and I had some experience with it. Students would follow a tutorial and build their game. I would be on hand to support them when they needed help. 

The Beginning

I flubbed the first day. I jumped straight into showing them how to follow a tutorial. I should have let them explore and see what kinds of games you can make. So I had some students trying to follow the tutorial and some just playing. 

They were not interested in reading. Looking back I can see now that when a ten-year-old hears the words "video games", their minds jump to playing it. Also, when people do not have experience coding or creating [digitally], they might not know the knowledge base one needs to build. 

Continuing on ... 

So for Session 1, I had them go through the tutorial on their own. For Session 2, I decided to lead them through the space shooter game. I figured that either it would go smoothly and all students would make a game in a session or two, or I would go very slowly and students would get bored and try it on their own. 

After the first time leading students through, one G5 student started to go ahead on her own. I used her as an example for the others - showing her work to the other students as an example. A G6 student started to go off on his own and explore the graphics. He drew a new character and found a new background image. 

From there, students started trying things on their own. Yesterday one student showed me that he had added enemies to his game and said he was going to add movement to the enemies next.

We got into a good rhythm so now that the break has started, I have time to make more videos for the lessons.

How to Create an Essential Agreement About Technology With Your Child

What is an Essential Agreement?

When you went to school, were rules posted on the wall for all to see? I don’t remember rules being posted in my classroom when I was in school, but since I became a teacher, we teachers have been asked to post them in our classrooms each year. 

If your child is attending an IB (International Baccalaureate) school, they probably have something called an Essential Agreement hanging in their classroom. An Essential Agreement is a common understanding or “set of rules” among the members of a community about what everyone’s common values are. We try not to call them rules because rules are made by someone in authority and imposed on someone else.

An essential agreement can look differently depending on the school, classroom, and teacher. Usually you will find a list of rules written in positive language about how the students want the classroom to look and feel. In most cases, students will sign the agreement to show that they have had a chance to add their input, have read it, and understand it.

Why have an Essential Agreement?

An essential agreement is a common understanding that is co-constructed by members of a group. When creating an essential agreement for a classroom, the essential agreement represents what it is they want their class to look, sound, and be like.

There are many benefits to having a co-constructed agreement. Maybe the most important is agency. Allowing your child to help make decisions about what is included in the agreement and help construct their own, they will feel more a part of the process and feel more ownership.

When we have a chance to offer our opinions and give input on a process, we feel more attached to it like we own it. When we have had a chance to offer our opinions on a rule or policy, chances are that we also would have had the chance to offer alternative ideas that we can discuss.

How

Talk about the 5W’s (Who, What, When, Where, Why, How) relating to technology use in your classroom. 

Who - Who can use certain devices? 

Can your child use your phone? Can your child’s friends use their computer? 

Try to think of all your devices and who should be using them.

What - The devices themselves

What sorts of activities should your child be using the computer for? Are they creating as well as consuming content?

When - When are acceptable times to be using devices?

Can your child use their computer after bedtime? Can they use it while eating? Talk about the times it is appropriate to use the computer. 

Where - Where are good places to use them

Where is a good place to use the computer? Is a table with drinks on it the best place? Should it be used in a place with food around? Talk about the best places to use the computer for both productivity and the care of the device.

Examples

 Use the Common Sense Media Family Media Agreement 

Homework

What? Homework? OK, let’s call it a Call to Action.

Your Call to Action is to have a conversation with your child about technology (See the blog post How to Talk with Your Child About Technology for guidance.) 

Step 1. Talk about what technology use looks like

What does it look like for you? 

What does it look like for your child?

Step 2. Talk about where you should use technology

It would be a good idea to have an agreement that the screen should always be visible. This is so everyone can look back to it as a reminder.

Step 3. Make an Agreement

A document where you can record what you talk about is a good idea. It can be kept on the wall or refrigerator as a reminder of what you talked about. Also talk about what should happen if and when the agreement is broken. 

I recommend using Common Sense Media’s Family Agreement as a start. If it doesn’t work for you, make your own or adjust it.

Step 4. Implement your Agreement

Start following your agreement right away. If you find your agreement is not working, have a talk with your child about why it is not working and what can be done to make it better.