Hour of Code

Coding is an instructional tool that some teachers use to help children learn logic-based reasoning and other problem-solving skills.  It was great see all the classrooms participating in "Hour of Code"  as students were engaged with plenty of new learning going on.  Classrooms made reference to various education sites as they prepared for this day: https://code.org/ https://www.tynker.com/hour-of-code/ and used the #HourOfCode hashtag on social media. 

I spent some time in the Year 1 Year2 classroom where students were making 90 degree turns with square patterns. Their decisions were methodical and reflective and they were learning and having fun.

Feedback from some of the parents were positive and as their children shared their learning during that day. Inquiries were: How many times does this occur a year?   Is this part of the curriculum?  It was hard to answer our parents even though evidence suggests Back to school: Canada lagging in push to teach kids computer coding as there are no plans to make computer coding lessons mandatory in Ontario schools. The current curriculum is lagging with the 21C demands as in 2007 the Science and Technology curriculum  and in 2005 the Mathematics curriculum were revised.  Moreover, any PD it has been done by teachers own time through education sites as they recognize the importance of this coding process.

The direction that a school takes reinforces the collaborative culture that is embedded with its community. As we move forward with our Learning Space in the New Year, we will make attempts to address some of these ways of new learning. 

Check out some highlights on our Hour Of Code Twitter Moment!