Programming is usually taught in a rigid manner, and it can be a bit difficult to teach it in an amusing way. The series I’ve chosen below is a potential learning resource where each video is a maximum of 10-15 minutes long. The reason I’ve chosen this series is that each video is short, and straight to the point. They give examples of code syntax, variable assignments, print statements, and arithmetic operations. This series uses CodeSkulptor to teach which is easier for students who are starting out since it requires no intimidation behind setting up their environments.

Another reason I’ve chosen this series is because of our target audience – high school kids. When you are in high school and you have never seen code, it is best (in my opinion) to keep students engaged for a short period of time. This series shows how code is so versatile, and it is almost like a ‘knowledge dump’ to get your “programming brain” to start working. It is up to the student how they would like to interact with the videos – they may take notes if that is helpful, pause the video every couple minutes and see if they could recreate what they’ve just witnessed on the screen, or pause the video to explain the concepts to themselves to see if they understand them.

One way we could assess the students’ interaction with the videos is to have them write a short paragraph on what their chosen methodology was when watching the videos, and explain the concepts they’ve learned in their own words. We could even suggest that they recreate some of the concepts they’ve learned, but change the code a bit so there are new variable assignments, or conditions to follow instead. This way, not only could we interpret how the student learned, but we may also discover new ways that a student processes these concepts for future reference. Feedback-wise, it would be feasible to examine if the student has absorbed these concepts or not. If we feel they have not gotten much out of the activity, we could provide feedback so they can learn better. The workload would feasible to regulate as well since it would only take a couple of seconds of looking at the student’s work to be acquainted with how much they have absorbed from the video. How well have they explained their understanding? Is there any attempt at recreating the structure of the code? Have they differentiated the difference between a variable assignment versus an equation? Have they attempted to create something new from what they are given? The activity can be left open-ended so the student is free to make their own observations.

One way this series could generate better activity is if the videos had timed breaks in between each concept for the learner to write down everything they understood rather than having the learner pause the video every couple minutes or so. Regardless, this series is a great way for beginners to see everything laid out in front of them and absorb concepts before sequentially learning them.

References

[1] YouTube. (2013). YouTube. Retrieved March 12, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khpfYC9PnAk&list=PLFP6Kkgyw9QeUZ2XmzO72SMU1t7fd2RSJ&t=4s&ab_channel=%D0%9A%D0%BE%D0%BD%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%94%D1%83%D0%B4%D0%B5%D1%80%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%B9.