Coding in the classroom without the computer - week 7

This week has been all about coding. Learning to code so that we can create and manipulate shapes on a computer screen. I have attempted a few different programs (here) but was asked to come up with a game that uses coding but not a computer. This was quite a fun activity that set my creative mind to work. I needed to come up with a way to introduce coding into a classroom of young children that wasn't daunting or hard. I decided to start young and simple and concentrate on F-2 age group.

The links to curriculum are:

Digital Technologies - Processes and Production Skills

Content Descriptor

Follow, describe and represent a sequence of steps and decisions (algorithms) needed to solve simple problems (ACTDIP004)

Elaborations

• experimenting with very simple, step-by-step procedures to explore programmable devices, for example providing instructions to physical or virtual objects or robotic devices to move in an intended manner, such as following a path around the classroom

Game

In pairs one child is to use grid paper to create a sequence by placing arrows to represent direction and how many steps that another child can follow to get to a destination.

Example of a sequence:

This game is simple but introduces young children to concepts in coding like creating algorithms and sequencing. In the beginning I thought coding was only for computer technologies but can now see how it can be used in a classroom as a tool for teaching across a few different curriculum.