Teaching Blockbased Programming

Teaching Blockbased Programming is a resource, which targets teachers, created by the Vodafone Stiftung Foundation in Germany. The resource was developed within the framework of the Coding for Tomorrow initiative, which aims to improve access to technology and foster futureproof skills for all. Teaching Blockbased Programming offers a lesson plan for teachers, who want to introduce their students to the topic of programming. A strong focus of the lesson is the programming language Scratch. 

The resource combines theory with practice: it offers an introduction to the basics of programming and its essential concepts: what it is, what it is used for, and how it functions. Students are also introduced to Scratch and have the opportunity to explore its application in teams. They can also revisit old projects they have previously collaborated on via Scratch once the lesson has finished. Upon successful completion of the lesson, students will: 

• Understand the essential concepts that pertain to programming and explain what skills are needed to work with computer programmes. 
• Recognise algorithms, explain how they function, and reproduce them. 
• Get to know the interface of Scratch, as well as its main functions. 
• Be able to explain how objects are moved, add speech bubbles, insert wait or repeat commands, and many others. 

The lesson plan can be used to organise a 45 minute learning session in which students are split in teams, comprising of 4 to 8 people in each. Teachers can also download additional materials through the website and watch instructional videos, to allow them to organise their material better.