8. Preparations

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You also need to make some practical preparation before starting with the clubs. First, you need to announce the launch of the coding clubs in your school. This announcement should trigger the interest of students to register and participate in the program. Here is guidance on how to communicate about the clubs:

  • Stress that the coding club is not a lesson. The purpose is to learn together about coding and work on fun coding projects. 
  • Stress that coding skills will help your learners in finding a job. Many interesting jobs require ICT skills and coding competencies. 
  • Everyone is welcome to join the club. Learners do not need to have advanced ICT skills. They just need to be interested in learning to code.
  • Make sure to encourage girls to participate in the clubs. At least half the members of your coding club should be girls. 
  • Clearly communicate which learners (grades, specializations) can join the coding club.

Logistics 

Here are some tips for the logistics of the club, but you could make some changes based on the situation of your school. Discuss with your headteacher, deputy headteacher, and colleagues the best way to organize the coding clubs.

  • Club sessions are best organized weekly and last about 2 hours. 
  • Participants will get a certificate of completion from the school at the end of the term or the coding club cycle.

Learning 

Goals Concerning the learning goals:

  • The club will have 12 weeks, with 2 hours of club meeting a week, that’s 24 hours of club sessions. The time will not be enough to transform participants into professional developers. Those who are interested can invest more time to continue learning. 
  • The time will not be enough, but they will be equipped with good foundational skills in Scratch. 
  • Participants will be equipped with a basic understanding of how programming works. 
  • If they work hard, within a year from the start of the clubs, they can be very good at Scratch and programming.

Last modified: Tuesday, 21 December 2021, 12:36 PM