How CodeNPlay Prepares Primary School Children for the Future
Driving Equality of Opportunities Through Digital Skills
You can hear the passion that drives Nadine Khouzam when you talk to her. When she says “I hate the inequality of opportunities” and explains how founding CodeNPlay contributes its part to make the world a better place, she takes you with her.
“We need to teach digital literacy because in the future, we won’t have a drivers license the way we understand it today. We will have self-driving cars and in that world, if you don’t know how your cleaning robot is working, then you have a problem.” Nadine, a former IT engineer and data scientist, has founded CodeNPlay in the summer of 2017 to bridge the digital divide. CodeNPlay trains computational thinking — the ‘thought process of machines’ — through robotics in a playful way to kids aged 6 and older. It’s the mission of CodeNPlay to “ensure every kid understands and becomes a creator of his or her technological future.”
“I want coding to be part of the curriculum. Through CodeNPlay, I can show that it works even if I cannot change the curriculum. I can do something now”, she explains. “We need to teach kids today how technology works and help them understand how to handle it. Tech evolves fast — when I started university, the iPhone didn’t exist. And I’m only 27.”
“We need to teach kids today how technology works and help them understand how to handle it. Tech evolves fast — when I started university, the iPhone didn’t exist. And I’m only 27.”
Programming is not writing code, but understanding logic
CodeNPlay is Nadine and four teachers who bring coding classes to schools in Brussels. Nadine says of herself that she is a “tech person” and believes in the power of technology for an inclusive world. She believes that “technology can help people go where they want to go”. CodeNPlay kicked off in the summer, when Nadine began teaching coding classes at her old primary school. Since then, the programme has developed incrementally and now delivers across languages (French and English to date) and schools. By January 2018, three Brussels schools across primary and secondary education will offer CodeNPlay as an extracurricular activity. In classes of maximum 12 students starting as early as 6 years old, CodeNPlay teaches the logic of programming through robots and coding as game. “We keep our classes physical by working with robots and digital by working with software. I want the kids to understand the logic of programming, so that they are prepared for new languages or technologies.”
“In the end, programming is not writing code, but understanding logic and using it to solve problems.”
“We don’t use only one language or only one robot because change happens so fast.” Nadine explains that her teaching methodology is build on the curriculum of Easy Peasy but has evolved based on her experience in the classroom. At first, all kids learn to understand the hardware and what makes a computer — that sensors mean a robot can see or hear and how algorithms make the robot move. They understand the role of a chip and what a chip is — electrical circuits. Only then, will they move on to programming.
“All of our teaching is closely linked to games and fun for the kids. For example, at Christmas, we had the kids dress up the Ozobot robot as Santa Claus and programmed it to go to certain places — which were houses — pick up a parcel — the Christmas present — and deliver it.”
Preparing for the future
Nadine is a doer. For the future, Nadine wants digital literacy and coding skills to be part of the curriculum, but until then she takes it into her own hands that the next generation is prepared. “With what we do, I can show that it works even if I cannot change the curriculum — and I can do something now.” She teaches her classes with a team of four others — all are believers in the power of education. They come from various backgrounds: one comes from digital for arts, one is a graphic designer, another a fellow IT engineers, and one a linguist.
Her sister, Nadine says laughing, helps her with some of the teaching aspects. “Not only because of her coaching background but also because she is a kid at heart.” And the feedback she provides has been proven valuable: “I have big, curly hair and my sister told me early on to tie my hair. That was a very basic but valuable lesson because once when I didn’t do so the kids were playing with my hair and indeed I lost their attention.”
Support from the Open Collective community
But it is not just the support of her family who she can rely on. “I really believe in what Xavier Damman is doing through Open Collective and more locally #BrusselsTogether— opening up the non-profit world and lightening the workload of those who want to change something, the doers. Like me”, Nadine explains of how she got involved with the Open Collective. “Xavier allows everyone to have an impact. And it is great to have the community to talk to and address problems as they arise.” For CodeNPlay, the Collective is a backup that helps Nadine — “The Open Collective is great to start working on impact and improving your offer — how kids perceive the cursus and the speed at which they learn… — before spending heavy time on administration”, she reflects.
For her work, Nadine is already gathering recognition. Recently, she was awarded the first Belgian Prize for the Right of the Child. She was nominated among other initiatives that were selected by adults but then had to present before kids. Every nominee was quizzed by the kids and it was the kids who decided which prize everyone would receive.
2018 — the year to grow
For 2018, Nadine is looking for more schools to work with. She explains that all that would be required of schools is a room available once a week and an internet connection — CodeNPlay can supply the necessary IT equipment. She would also love to see more teachers involved as she is keen that the knowledge “remains local in the schools — if kids have a question, I want them to be able to go to their teachers, not me”, she says.
Anyone interested in bringing CodeNPlay to their school can contact Nadine via the CodeNPlay website or by email. Those who want to support her by financial means, are invited to check her page on the Open Collective website — there are outlines what a donation contributes to the CodeNPlay work, for example, sponsoring classes for one trimester or donating towards IT equipment.
Learn more about CodeNPlay: https://www.codenplay.be/
Email Nadine at nadine@codenplay.be
CodeNPlay on the Open Collective website: opencollective.com/codenplay
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