Month: September 2020

Community members share advice for running online Code Club sessions!

We understand that going online to run a Code Club session might be making you feel a little nervous. We’re here to support you every step of the way on this new learning journey. Check out our new guidance on online sessions, and read on to hear top tips and words of advice from Code Club educators around the world.

Try it! 

After a summer break, Meriden Code Club are back running online club sessions on Zoom. They shared these words of encouragement: 

“For people worried about starting something online, or doing anything different with their club, a tip would be to just try it; people won’t expect perfection from day one and you’ll learn so much about what works for you and your club.” 

Encourage creativity

Leeds Libraries created a multilevel game at their online Code Club session. We asked what their top three tips would be:

  1. Make content available in a range of formats and on different platforms to allow as much accessibility to participants as possible.
  2. Create projects with flexible goals in mind to allow for different skill sets and interpretations. 
  3. Encourage creativity! If a coder wants to try something different to what you had in mind, let them run with it. You’ll be amazed at what they come up with.
Lee has attended Leeds Libraries online sessions

Slow your sessions down 

Nicola from Code Club Australia has given some advice on how the pace of your Code Club may change:

“Talk and progress through the lesson much slower than you would face to face, and explain every detail (otherwise you’ll have to repeat it, many times).”  

Nicola from Code Club Australia

Adjust your Code Club start time

Adam runs Fleetville Code Club and has been running online Code Club sessions, using Scratch and Minecraft. Adam shared his advice to help your online sessions run more smoothly: 

  1. Assume your first session is going to be all about getting people set up on their computers. The students might use Scratch at school, but getting it running at home at the same time as a Zoom call takes a little getting used to. 
  2. An after-school online club session will need to start a bit later than an in-school club since the children need to get home ( now many schools have staggered leaving times). 
  3. Students are just as thrilled by receiving online certificates as they are by the paper equivalents – use the Code Club ones or prepare some of your own.

If you are running online sessions and want to share your tips with the rest of the community, write to us at support@codeclub.org and we’ll make sure to pass them on.

Let’s get back to Code Club safely

Move over August, September has arrived and Code Club has a range of exciting new options to help you restart your Code Club safety.

Guiding you through options

We’ve developed a framework to guide you through which option will suit your club’s current situation. The options are flexible, to allow you to pick and combine elements that will work for your club and venue. 

Members from the Code Club community have kindly shared their learnings and experiences on the options, and provided top tips for getting back to coding this September. 

In-person sessions

When you are ready to restart your club, in-person sessions will run as normal, following guidelines from your local health authority and safeguarding for your venue. Hear how Richard Hayler from Cranmere Code Club in the UK is preparing his club for in-person sessions: 

“We’re really looking forward to when we can resume our in-person sessions and are working with our school on the safest way to do this.”

Online sessions

During August, Rohima and Christina from the Code Club team had fun running online sessions for the Raspberry Pi Foundation. An online session is run by an educator or volunteer; it takes place at a regular chosen time and runs using video conferencing or live-streaming tools.

If your club is considering running online sessions, take a look at the advice from Rohima and Christina: 

  • “Be prepared in your setting — check the sound on your laptop is working, plug in your charger, and have the club window open so you can start promptly.” (Rohima) 
  • “Don’t worry if you only have a couple of children turn up, embrace it. They are there because they want to be, make it a fun place to be, you may just inspire a future coder!” (Rohima)
  • “I learned how different it was to do group coding online vs in person. In some cases, your role is to just check in with kids every 10–15 minutes and facilitate the sharing. Sometimes, it’ll be quiet, so talk to your group about having music!” (Christina) 
  • “Remember to be patient with yourself, participants, and parents, especially with the first session. You’re going to learn so much during the first session that will make your second, third, and fourth session run super smoothly!” (Christina)  

Remote activities

We checked in with D&G libraries in Scotland who are regularly sending out remote activities from the Digital Making at Home programme to parents via their Facebook page. They’re then on hand to answer questions and offer support when needed. 

Here’s what a parent said about the activities:   

“My son really enjoyed the coding club over the summer, he had done a little before and picked up how to do it very quickly. It was fun and interactive and he has been back time and time again trying new things.”

Keeping your club flexible 

The pandemic is keeping us on our toes, and we know that clubs may not always be able to run consistently in-person, online, or remote activities. Leeds Libraries used a pick-and-mix approach to running their Code Club, read about how they got on.

We encourage you to feel confident to pick and combine the options according to what best suits you and your venue.

Take a look at our ways to run a Code Club page for everything you will need to get your club back up and running this September, including new resources, the framework, and updated safeguarding guidance. 

What do you think about Code Club? The results are in!

At the end of 2019 we asked the Code Club community to tell us about your clubs as part of our annual survey. The full report has now been published and here are some of the highlights from your feedback.

Who are our volunteers and club leaders? 

We received a total of 1583 survey responses from 69 countries across the world, from Vietnam, to Colombia, to Mozambique.

The majority of the volunteers and club leaders who responded told us they were between the ages of 35 and 54, and worked as educators or in a STEM role. Around 50% of our club leaders and volunteers identified as female, with 47% identifying as male.

Code Club’s impact on children

The most common theme from your comments was the positive impact of Code Club on young learners. Many of you shared the skill development that takes place in your clubs, not just in coding and STEM skills, but also in soft skills, such as creativity, confidence, problem-solving, and collaboration.

When asked about the impact seen in young people attending your club, we found that:

  • 94% agreed that young people improve their programming skills
  • 92% agreed that they became more confident in their computer skills
  • 92% agreed that the children you reach are now more interested in programming
  • 88% agreed that young people in your club were now better at solving problems with computers 
  • And 83% agreed the young people in your club were better at teaching others computer skills

We were pleased to slightly increase the number of girls attending Code Clubs to 40%, and interested to see that the average Code Club size has fallen slightly — from 15 to 13 children. Most clubs had between 10 and 14 attendees

Clubs across the world told us that they loved how their Code Club acted as a ‘safe and welcoming space’, where young people were able to learn in an open and inclusive environment.

“Code Club has helped me to create a safe learning space for students who are curious and ready to explore the world of code. We have developed an environment where risk-taking, [and] sharing and celebrating mistakes have become the norm.”

The reward of running a Code Club

We were delighted to hear how much club leaders and volunteers enjoy learning alongside the young people in their Code Club. 

“The best thing about Code Club is to be able to teach and learn at the same time, contributing to the knowledge of future generations. I feel fulfilled!”

Many of you also shared how rewarding you found being an adult supporter at your Code Club, from finding joy in working with young people, to feeling pride in seeing the young people in your club develop.  

Resources

We also asked what projects you used most in your clubs. Scratch remains a firm favourite, with 90% of clubs using Scratch projects, while Python and micro:bit projects were also popular. 

You told us that you love our certificates, our variety of projects, and the project challenges. The fact that the Code Club curriculum is ready made and the availability of translated versions of the projects were also popular points. And you also appreciated our competitions, as they give young people a chance to engage in a project alongside other clubs around the world. 

Keep sharing with us! 

Join the conversation with us on Facebook and Twitter. We’d love to keep hearing stories and feedback from your club over on the #MyCodeClub hashtag.