Kids Who Code: A PLC Project

This school year, I am working on a very special project with two other educators from my PLC, Mrs. Connie Lowe and Mrs. Devon Caldwell. We have been fortunate to receive support for our work from our local teachers' association, the Manitoba Teachers Society. Our project is called Kids Who Code and it's all about helping our young learners develop coding skills. We are pleased to have the opportunity to work together on this project.

So... what is coding? According to Code Conquest, "Coding is what makes it possible for us to create computer software, apps and websites. Your browser, your OS, the apps on your phone, Facebook ... they’re all made with code." Coding is what many of us call "computer science" or "computer programming" and we're excited to bring it to our classrooms.

So.. why teach coding? Personally, we feel that coding will help us develop critical-thinking and problem-solving skills in our young learners. Code.org asserts that, "Every student should have the opportunity to learn computer science. It helps nurture problem-solving skills, logic and creativity. By starting early, students will have a foundation for success in any 21st-century career path."

and finally... What benefits are there to working on this project as a PLC? Working as a team, we are better able to tackle this new project. None of us are experts in coding or teaching coding, but all of us feel more confident since we are supporting each other. We are learning together and sharing resources, which makes this project seem less daunting. It is very exciting to take charge of our professional learning in this area and I'm excited to implement new ideas in my classroom!