Friday 22 July 2016

Code Club, Making a Difference

16:01 Posted by Unknown , , 4 comments
For the last 4 years, once a week, during term time I have run an after school Code Club at a local primary school. If you haven't heard of Code Club before it's a nationwide network of volunteer-led after school coding clubs for children aged 9-11. In the 4 years since it's launch there are now more than 4,500 clubs being run each week across the country reaching over 64,000 children, and all this for free!

Now you may ask why I do this, well it's simple, to make a difference. Children are so open to ideas and to be able to show them what they can do with computers is a fantastic opportunity, it opens their eyes to a whole new world of possibilities. Many children are happy playing computer games but never once think how the games were created, how pressing left on the controller moves their character on the screen. Through Code Club I get to show them how to create simple animations and games and introduce them to coding concepts.

It doesn't just stop at coding though, it's also "Computational Thinking". For example we introduce to the children the idea of breaking big problems down into manageable chunks (decomposition) and developing steps to find a solution to a problem (algorithms). These aren't just applicable to coding either, they can be used across the whole school curriculum and provide a valuable life skill. So even if the children decide that coding isn't for them, they'll still take away something very useful. All of this is done under the overriding umbrella of just having fun, we don't force them to stick to the projects, if they want to add their own creativity, just go for it. The more they enjoy what they are doing the more they are learning.

Recently Code Club uploaded a post to their blog (https://blog.codeclub.org.uk/2016/06/28/the-benefits-of-code-club-for-schools-teachers/) that was written by Matt Warne, the teacher that I had run my club at Malvern Wells Primary School with until summer 2015. He moved onto a new school and I continued running my club with his replacement. The position he took at a large primary school in Worcester was as head of computing and IT. In his blog post he kindly finished off by saying;

“Code Club was a big factor in my journey as a teacher and also the impact of a volunteer Robert Bilsland was enormous. He was a fabulous role model and continues to inspire pupils and teachers to ‘have a go’ in this enormously rewarding subject.”

I find the fact that someone took the time to write such kind words humbling. The "Code Club Effect" is being felt by more than just the children in the club. By teachers helping at a club they are able to gain more confidence in the subject which in turn leads to better inclusion in other subject areas and sharing what they are learning with colleagues. This results in even more children (that don't even attend a Code Club themselves) benefiting indirectly.

Earlier in the year Code Club also named me as one of their "Champions". This recognised my continued support of Code Club, sharing my volunteer experiences with others, supporting activities like science fairs and presenting at meetings. I find the opportunities that I am given to help enthuse children about computing and share my enthusiasm for what Code Club is trying to achieve very rewarding. It is moments like these that mean so much to me as it shows I am truly making a difference.