I'm a teacher, and I've been asked to teach a programming class to my 8th-grade students. The catch is that I'm a biology major with no programming experience at all. The curriculum will start with programming next month, but I need to learn how to teach the basics quickly—ideally in less than a month—because we're currently on multimedia topics. I'm browsing through courses and tutorials, but I feel overwhelmed and don't want to waste time on difficult materials when I could be learning something simpler and more effective. Any suggestions for resources or how to get started? I'd really appreciate a guiding hand!
4 Answers
Scratch is a fantastic place to start, especially for someone new to programming like you. It’s free and designed for beginners, plus there are resources and lesson plans specifically for teachers. Your 8th graders will get to learn basic programming concepts like loops and conditions in a fun way! Check out Scratch at scratch.mit.edu/educators for resources.
Khan Academy has a great programming curriculum that you can look at. It covers the basics nicely and is interactive enough for your students. Plus, you can learn alongside them, which could make it more enjoyable for everyone involved. Just make sure you’re doing some of the coding exercises too!
I appreciate the recommendation! I’ll definitely explore Khan Academy. It sounds like a supportive way to learn.
It's tough when you're thrown into a teaching role without prior experience, but think about your end goals for the students. If you can set them up to create simple projects, they’ll be more engaged. Starting with a visual programming tool like Scratch helps with that, but you might also look at Python if you're feeling brave. There are plenty of free resources available for both of these options.
That makes sense! I think engaging them with projects will keep them interested. I’ll look into Python as well.
If you can, try learning the concepts of algorithms and some basic logic. It’ll help a lot in explaining programming, even if you’re starting with visual tools. There are also some online MOOCs for beginners that could help solidify your understanding. You don’t need to go deep into every concept, but having a grasp helps a ton when teaching.
Thanks for the advice! I’ll see if I can find some MOOCs that fit into my schedule.
Thanks for the tip! I can see how Scratch would be easier to manage. It might really help simplify things for me and the students!