The Greater Birmingham and Solihull Institute of Technology (GBSIoT) recently visited Sharmans Cross Junior School to teach a Lego Spike Prime coding workshop to three Year 6 classes. The workshop aimed to introduce students to the world of coding and inspire them to pursue STEM-related subjects.
The GBSIoT is a consortium of further and higher education providers, including Aston University, Birmingham City University, and Solihull College & University Centre, working together to provide high-quality technical education and training in the Greater Birmingham and Solihull area.
The Lego Spike Prime coding workshop is an interactive and engaging way to teach children the basics of coding. The workshop involves using Lego blocks and a programmable hub to build robots that can perform a variety of functions. Students are taught how to code their robots using Scratch, a visual programming language developed by MIT.
The workshop was held with three Year 6 classes over the course of the day, with each class consisting of approximately 30 students.
The students were initially introduced to the concept of coding and its applications in the real world. The GBSIoT team then provided a brief tutorial on how to use the Spike Prime kit and the Lego Scratch to program their robots. The students were given specific tasks to complete, such as creating a robot that could move forward and backward or a robot that could follow a line.
The workshop was a huge success, with the students showing great enthusiasm and engagement throughout the session. The GBSIoT team received positive feedback from both students and teachers, with many expressing an interest in attending similar workshops in the future.
The benefits of introducing coding and STEM-related subjects to students at a young age cannot be overstated. Coding is an essential skill in the modern world, and providing children with opportunities to learn coding and programming languages can help prepare them for future careers in technology and innovation.
Furthermore, introducing coding and STEM-related subjects to children at a young age can also help to address the gender gap in STEM fields. Women are traditionally underrepresented in STEM careers, and introducing coding and STEM-related subjects to girls at a young age can help to increase their interest and participation in these fields.
