Coding for Kids
Prince Edward County Meets CS Standards Thanks to Tynker!
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Prince Edward County Meets CS Standards Thanks to Tynker!
Prince Edward County Public Schools is located in central Virginia in the growing town of Farmville. The K-12 division is home to a highly diverse group of 2,100 students and offers a wide variety of instructional programs aimed at preparing students not only for college but also for the workplace. This guest post was written by Tammy Hurt, STEM Coordinator for Prince Edward. You can follow the school on Twitter @PrinceEdwardSch.
Why Coding?
As STEM-related careers continue to be in high demand, we felt it was vital that we begin planning for how to meet workplace needs and the role of this school division. While graduation requirements in Virginia continue to evolve, there is a growing focus on preparing students for the workplace demands in a 21st century society. Virginia is also implementing K-12 Computer Science standards next school year; these requirements support our goal of creating an environment of academic excellence for all students through a variety of methods, including offering coding classes, developing 21st century STEM labs, and expanding upon our competitive Robotics teams.
The Prince Edward Difference
Prince Edward is a technology-rich school division where students are able to learn through a variety of technological tools. We have a dedicated team of teachers with a focus on providing students with the opportunity to learn through state-of-the-art equipment. Teachers are also beginning to learn how coding can be used in the classroom to support the core content instruction and how students are better able to make connections through the use of technology. While technology may be intimidating for some, our division embraces the opportunity to use these resources as just another learning tool for students.
“[Tynker] is a wonderful tool that helps to further engage students in the learning process.“
3rd and 4th graders at Prince Edward County Elementary School were introduced to coding with Tynker. (via Twitter)
Prince Edward’s mission statement reads: “We are an inclusive, student-centered community focused on inspiring confident, knowledgeable, and productive citizens who are empowered to lead.” This is not possible without taking into consideration the needs of society, which right now is to prepare students for jobs that involve technical skills in areas such as coding and computer science. One specific focus is on the expansion of career exploration opportunities for students in K-12. We believe students should be introduced to a variety of career paths at a young age, and then we as educators fan those flames during the 13 years the students are with us. We are responsible for providing them with the necessary knowledge and skills for them to be successful after graduation
How does Tynker fit in?
As the Virginia Department of Education requires the implementation of the Computer Science standards during the 2019-2020 school year, we are fortunate to have Tynker already in place as one of the many tools that will support our teachers in the classroom during implementation. Tynker also provides wonderful data reports that can be compared to the state standards and serve as an assessment to determine student mastery in specific areas. These reports allow us to track student progress each year and focus on weak areas as needed.
Teachers that have used the program think it is a wonderful tool that helps to further engage students in the learning process. After initial use, teachers commented on how easy it was to use Tynker in the classroom, and I have witnessed the excitement students have when they are able to teach the teacher something new. Teachers, students, and parents have mentioned how much this program means to the student and the overwhelming enjoyment they get from building new programs and coding games on their own.
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