In my classroom, students are the teachers—here’s why it works

Into to Programming Class: The Assignment

1. Identify the problem and find a solution

Thinking along these lines, I decided that I would create an assignment that asked students to think of one aspect of code that they struggled with and document it. On their own, or through collaboration with others, they would then come up with a solution to make their code work. Since there are various ways to write code to attain the same result, students have the opportunity to investigate what works for them and share their level of understanding.

 2. Document the steps to the solution

Students would then document the steps that took them to their solution.

3. Create a “how-to” video to share with others

Using a screencasting program such as Screencastify, students were then required to create a “how-to” video to explain how they arrived at their solution.

I found that student tutorials were inspirational in having students use their critical thinking and problem solving skills in my programming class. Knowing that they had to explain what they learned to assist others gave them a sense of personalized learning and accountability.

Each student documented and recorded a different concept that was a personal challenge and in turn, showed a global audience that they didn’t give up on themselves. What a great way to have students inspire their fellow students!

In this example one student describes how to create a timer for her Alice 3 Boat Race project. Hannah struggled with this concept, but was proud to assist others with her findings. Great job, Hannah!

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