Great teachers can’t be beaten, and great coding teachers are a treasure. Codeverse lists a few of their traits and tells what makes a good teacher great.
Think about your favorite teacher. What made them your favorite? Did they believe in you? Did they push you towards improvement? Did they make a concept easier to grasp? Did they introduce you to something new? Did they help you uncover your personal passion?
When it comes to coding, many what make a good coding teacher are the same things that make a good teacher. Teaching is hard work, and after the last year, it’s never been more clear that we owe a lot of thanks to teachers that make learning so easy. It’s no small task.
Coding is a unique opportunity to combine the technology of computers and their programming language with creativity. Coding can be the next cool game, the best animation ever, the best robot of all time, or a solution to a world problem. There’s no limit to what coding can do, and kids can be part of that.
The best coding teachers will have the basics of a good teacher plus a little more for good measure. They’re the guides to help our kids to explore an exciting new subject.
The basics of a good teacher are universal. Here are some of the qualities of a good teacher.
Good teachers show their students respect. Students at any age are people, and people, regardless of any differences, are valuable and deserving of respect. Showing students respect is a great way to teach students how to respect others and students who feel respected and valued also feel safe to express themselves and share their ideas freely with their teacher.
Good teachers create a classroom community. One of the places we learn about interacting as members of society is in the classroom, and it’s our first experience with a community. In a classroom, like in a community, there are rules, jobs, and a sense of belonging and responsibility. Good teachers foster this environment and teach us how to value other community members and see our value.
Good teachers care about their students. As a child, one of the best feelings is when an adult shows an interest in what you have to say. That’s why good teachers typically possess great listening skills, and they know how to bear their burdens and still listen and show concern for what their students are going through.
Great Teachers still love to learn. When a teacher is excited about a subject, that excitement is infectious. A good teacher is a great leader, and a great leader knows how to learn. Understanding the learning process is how a teacher helps you learn in a way that feels almost effortless.
Great teachers set high expectations. Sometimes the teacher we learned to appreciate the most was the teacher that we thought was the toughest. That’s because our teacher set what we thought, in the beginning, were unreachable goals, but what we learn along the way is that we were more capable than we realized. We rise to meet those high expectations, and when we reach those once seemingly unattainable goals, we understand that our teacher never doubted our abilities. They just have a way of drawing them to the surface.
Teaching kids to code follows many of the same guidelines as teaching anything else. But, there are some qualities that a great coding teacher needs to possess. If you are a coding teacher, just remember to PACE yourself.
We know our kids are amazing, so what do our amazing kids need from their coding teacher?
Kids can code. We know they can. If they can read, they can code, but that doesn’t mean the process will always be smooth sailing. There will be mistakes, problems, and different ways of thinking. A good coding teacher needs to have the patience to foster patience. Learning to code is a process like any other, and when a child feels like it’s okay to take their time, make mistakes, and ask a question without feeling rushed or like a bother, the child can relax and learn organically.
Attitude is everything. When a teacher is upbeat, it makes it easier for the student to remain positive and confident that they can learn. It can be easy for kids to have self-reservations, but a positive teacher can help them redirect their thoughts to stay motivated and self-assured.
Coding is a part of so much of the world around us. Almost every piece of technology we see and use has some level of coding and programming, and we all want our kids to get to know the world on that level. Coding is for anyone and everyone. That includes students of different backgrounds, different interests, and different abilities. A good coding teacher will be adaptable to their students to meet them at their ability level and engage them in their interests.
Showing them that coding is part of the world they love makes learning to code more inspiring and inviting for students.
Also, a coding teacher should be adaptable to their student’s different learning styles, abilities, and interests; a good coding teacher also needs to be accepting. Remember, when a teacher is accepting, it’s much easier for students to express themselves and feel comfortable asking questions.
Coding gets a bad reputation for being just computer language and math, but coding is creative.
Coding is taking creativity and turning it into art.
Coding is taking creativity and turning it into movement.
And, coding is taking creativity and turning it into solutions. A good coding teacher knows that it’s imperative to foster a child’s creativity to teach coding.
Our kids aren’t just capable. They’re creative. It’s hard to find a child that doesn’t have something that brings out their creativity, and harnessing that creativity and teaching them to code with it is what teaching code is all about. Imagine a world where children learn that it’s okay to be creative, and they learn that the only limit to what they can achieve is their own imagination.
A good coding teacher needs to be confident. Of course, they need confidence in themselves and confidence in talking about the subject, but even more importantly, they need to have confidence in their kids. Kids are amazing, and they can do amazing things.
No one knows the amazing potential in kids quite like a coding teacher because they watch their minds work through problems to create things from their imaginations using computer language, syntax, and coding concepts.
In science, we learn as a principle of physics that the law of conservation of energy states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, but it can be transferred. Thankfully, when it comes to learning, it seems energy can be created in our kids. When a teacher is energetic and upbeat about the subject, it’s easier for kids to be energetic and upbeat about the subject.
It is in the enjoyment of learning that we often unlock what inspires us and motivates us. An energetic teacher makes it easier to have fun and enjoy what you’re learning. A good coding teacher will be that for their students. We all have days when we can use an extra cup of coffee, and our kids need a fresh boost of energy from us sometimes too.
A good coding teacher will also be encouraging. Coding is a great way to learn problem-solving skills, and the only way to learn problem-solving skills is to encounter problems. In coding, kids learn that working through the problems they encounter isn’t a reason to give up or be discouraged. It’s a reason to explore the steps they’ve taken and find areas that need to be tweaked or rewritten.
Encouraging a child to explore their creativity and not give up on themselves is the key to a great coding experience. Remember, if they can read, they can code. So, it just makes sense to encourage them with confidence because they can do it.
Kids are amazing people. Teachers are amazing people. When you put them together, they can do amazing things. Coding can make amazing things happen too. It already does, really. All around us are amazing pieces of code that make our lives great, and our kids can learn it now and create amazing things now and for the rest of their lives.
A good coding teacher isn’t so different from a good teacher of any subject. Still, when they are patient and positive, adaptable and accepting, creative and confident, and energetic and encouraging, they become the guide a child needs to explore their own potential and unlock the code in themselves.
Sources:
Back to School: Why Creating Classroom Community is So Important | naeyc.org
Leaders, Learn How To Learn | Forbes
conservation of energy | Britannica
