10 Things to Ask About a Coding Curriculum: Question 6 Core Content

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     Coding can be a creative activity. It can be something every teacher does and uses, but how do we get to that goal? Coding is not something many teachers have training for, so convincing them takes a particular connection to content. There are coding resources that make it easy, though. Let’s use this blog to discuss how to find one.
      Getting core teachers (science, social studies, math, and ELA) to code comes down to two things: ease of use and a clear connection. If either one of those isn’t there, most will give up on the product quickly. Remember those two things, and you can’t go wrong.
      Ease of use includes how to assign content, where to find it, and how to assess it. It means you need a platform that is familiar and a teacher can start with quickly. The best way to do that is to build it on a classroom management system similar to any LMS they are using. If you have both a place where teachers can assign lessons (including pre-built content) and see student progress, they will be able to acclimate without any issues!
​    Coding is also not natural for core teachers, so it helps to give them a starting place. While pre-built content isn’t always the best in other subjects, it becomes vital for subjects teachers aren’t trained in coding and digital citizenship. These pre-built lessons are on content, and they are getting to the heart of what students need by allowing them to build animations, games, stories, and more.
    The key to better pre-built lessons, though, is that you can customize them. Think about it in a layered way. A teacher can start with pre-built core curriculum content; then they can move to customize those pre-built lessons, and then they can move to build their own. Can you have that progression in one platform? Yes, you can, and I might know one.
    Of course, this all has to connect with standards. You might find that some of the national standards connect directly (like Common Core and NGSS), but with coding being a creative activity, it can apply to any standard. Building these lessons just requires your imagination.