By sending a child to programming courses, parents hope to give the child a useful hobby and lay the foundation for becoming a specialist – and they expect that as a result the student will master the course perfectly and will be ready to develop further.

But there is a problem: there are a lot of courses on the market, and not all of them achieve the desired result. Most of them only create a sense of progress, or, in the case of children's programming, only occupy the child with a new business, without thinking about how he will use this knowledge in the future.

The methodology of teaching programming should be aimed not only at the process and the result, but also the post-result – the application of new knowledge.

Why are most teaching methods ineffective?

For hundreds of years, our entire education has consisted of alternating blocks of theory and practice. This is a familiar and time-tested system that is still taught in schools and universities around the world. But is it so effective now, especially in such a practical field as IT?

We have identified several main problems that such a curriculum can carry, and considered them from the perspective of children's education:

1. A monotonous theory. Even adults get bored of some courses. Sometimes the material can be submitted in the format of a game or in any other interactive way, rather than just a lecture.
2. Lack of practice. Not all materials are absorbed immediately. Sometimes it's worth repeating them, and not just solving the same task several times, but showing it from different sides. This will show students more options and develop a lot of visibility in them – which means it will help them come up with their own solutions, and not act according to a template.
   
3. Lack of purpose. Often the courses are too linear: they explained an easy task – they did it, they explained a more difficult task - they did it. The process is underway, and progress seems to be too – the tasks are more and more difficult. But what do we come to in the end? To the inability to find application for these very solutions, because the focus of the course is on solving tasks.
   

What should be the teaching methodology?

The main task of programming courses when you teach adults is to make students competent specialists. At the same time, it is important that there is no “water” in the course, there is a lot of practice, and ideally, a workplace is already waiting for the graduate at the exit.

If the students are children, everything changes dramatically, starting from the topics of the courses and ending with the expected result.

The course for children is a contribution to their future for parents. This is an aid in development and a change of habits from consumerism to creation. Therefore, teachers here set other goals:

1. To develop the child's potential in a modern direction;
2. To cultivate useful qualities in him with a foundation for the future.
   

The curriculum should not just show how it should be, but consolidate the material covered.

At the same time, you need to take into account his level and maintain interest. It is very easy to lose all desire to learn when faced with impossible tasks, so entering a new field should be smooth and accompanied by support. Programming is interesting to learn because the child immediately sees his result, but he accepts the real value for the child when he is approved by mentors, parents and peers.

To summarize. The teacher should be able to engage children and find a common language with them, and the methodology should be aimed at:

• A certain age and level. Take into account the initial knowledge and skills, do not load them with complex tasks and terms.
• Consolidating the basics before in–depth study - the student should not stop there, but in order to move on, it is necessary to consolidate the existing knowledge.
  
• Successful passing of exams and admission to a good university, if we are talking about older children.
  

How to make it effective?

To create a training program, you need to take into account many things: its relevance, hours, and the needs of students… But it's worth starting with the most basic thing – its content.

First, the theory must remain relevant and updated regularly. The professional IT field is constantly evolving, and little by little changes are reaching newcomers. The purpose of programming courses is to prepare them for real work, so the teacher must take into account the relevance of their materials.

Teacher should not only be able to teach, but also know what is happening in the field in which he teaches.

Secondly, practice should not be limited to the exact repetition of theory. Creativity develops when we move away from the set limits. Show the students different versions of the tasks that you are sorting out. Learning should not be static: in real life, problems are very variable.

The rules of effective teaching methods that the teacher must organize:

1. The student must understand why he is studying and where to apply this knowledge. At the beginning of the lesson, show and tell us where what you are going to do today is applicable, and how students will be able to use the new information. This will immediately set a clear visual goal for the lesson.
   
   Sometimes the children are brought to the courses by their parents. The point here is not to amuse a disinterested child, but to show what programming is and what can be done with it.

2. Learning should be active. It is important to stimulate curiosity in students. The decisions that the child came to independently, although under the guidance of a teacher, are fixed better. And you can also discuss them with other guys: share your experience and discover something new together.
   

3. The student should be able to repeat their projects and explain how they work. The result of the course is not a certificate and a finished project. The result is active knowledge, skills and abilities.
   

How does CODDY develop techniques?

With professional teachers, psychologists and personal long-term experience. But there are a few points and chips that help us, and which we are ready to share.

1. We find an approach to each student. It is important for the group to move at the same pace so that everyone learns the material equally well. If a child skips a lesson, it is conducted online.
   
   
2. We expand and gain experience by teaching not only children. Teaching methods vary from age to age, but you can find something new and useful in everyone. For example, we have a computer literacy course for pensioners.
   
   
3. We have created our own motivational system for students. CODDY has an achievement system – for each completed course, a student receives a Coddick Certificate. Certificates are added into levels, and with each level the child receives his reward: merch, books, games. This gives an additional incentive to learn and a useful thing to remind you of the path you have traveled.
   
   
4. We cooperate with other schools and universities and adopt their practices. For example, we collaborated with Skolkovo, developed our course together with the Faculty of Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics of Moscow State University and teach Harvard and Stanford programming courses.