60 seconds of KidsWhoCode @StStephensPri
This 60 second iMovie of the children of years 3 & 4 at St Stephens shows the pleasure the children have in learning and expressing themselves in code.
Over the school year I show the joy of creative computing to almost hundred children each week in schools and a club on Saturday at the Guildhall in Bath.
I share some of the children’s fantastic creations on twitter and programming-uk, and show the children their fantastic work being ‘liked’ around the world by the creators of the software tools the children themselves are learning with.
Attentive, creative and children doing what they are made for
- open to learning, and to the endless possibilities of computing
- open to learning from each other, being nice & supportive in their learning journeys
- open and accepting of each other’s differences
The girls are very attentive, taking it all in, while improving their code.
The boys opposite are coming up with ideas, testing out existing games, and writing their own.
They are stars of computing. One girl training a friend new to computing, and together they make fantastic things.
For the children, I think I do very little
- I remind them of the creative ideas they have had
- I lift people along when they need it, or space to imagine
- I encourage them to explore their own and other people’s ideas
However, as parent educators, we are used to that
- We role model a healthy growth mindset
- We show how to play with ideas
- We demonstrate support, love and encouragement
- We help our children find meaning in the world
I hope creative computing is a game that they can bring home and share with you
We learn so much from our children, often the hardest part is showing patience in the belief that they are growing while they explore the world.
The best way of thinking about creative computing is that it is the early literacy that you cared so passionately about:
- Gives your children a head start in life
- Well written and promotes creativity
- It’s just so much fun!
The theory is not so tough
- Aristotle and the midwife to the truth
- Haim Ginot and keeping the dream alive
- Dewey and creating a well-formed mind
- Lajos Egre and creativity
- Dworkins and the growth mindset
- Piaget and Papert, and finding meaning
- Vygotosky and relatability
But learning is hard work
- Emotionally
- Intellectually
- Socially
Now, of course, we have access to the neurological basis of emotional and social learning
The emotional and social development is the hardest part, the children are fantastic teachers for that!
Most importantly, I am very proud that your children have let me into their hearts.
That they have accepted and enjoy some of what I know, and show me how they make beautiful things from it.
And now I have another bunch of awesome children waiting in the wings, waiting to step up from Year 2.
