Since the summer of last year I've been an online coding instructor for children and young adults for theCoderSchool. I've taught students 1-on-1, 2-on-1, and sometimes groups of five or more. In this blog post, I will be share a few takeaways I've gained from my teaching experiences over the past year. 
 
Be aware of the curse of knowledge
 
One of the first takeaways I gained when I started teaching was how experience was how my software engineering experience  impacts the quality of my instruction. While it has provided me a depth of topics and interesting insights to infuse into my lessons, at times it has also caused me to assume that people know things the same way that I do. I've been coding professionally for well over a decade. Coding has practically become a second language to me. I can think and reason in code so quickly that it's unconscious. Because of this, I at times forget that my students are learning code for the first time and don’t grasp the concepts as deeply as I do.  
 
There were many moments when I first started out that I would quickly zip through an explanation that in my mind was really simple, only to look up and meet blank look on my student's face. 
 

Here’s some things I do to avoid this:

1. Put myself in my student’s shoes - I try to remember what it was like when I was learning how to code. I think about what questions I might have about certain concepts and how I might understand them. I try to get inside their heads and think about how I can adjust my instruction.
2. I slow down - I take my time to explain coding concepts and make sure my students understand them before moving on. I avoid moving on to very abstract, complex concepts such as classes and objects too soon; this is especially the case for students under the age of 10, most of whom tend to lack the cognition to fully grasp the concept. 

Patience is a Must

Becoming aware of the curse of knowledge has also made me realize the importance of patience in teaching. The greatest gift a teacher can give a student is lots of support and approval of where they are in their journey. It takes a lot of time and persistence to learn how to code. When a student feels like they can learn at their own pace without any expectation of being at a particular skill level they are more likely to continue engaging with the material. I’ve seen students who lost interest in learning to code because either the instructor moved too quickly through the material or the instructor got frustrated with the student’s lack of progress. 

As an instructor it can be frustrating to see that after spending an exorbitant amount of time teaching and answering questions about a coding concept, a student still fail to grasp it. But when I pause to reflect on my own learning journey, I remember moments when I struggled to understand many computer science concepts, including the very ones my students struggle with. What I immediately realize is that learning is a process. 

We often view the act of learning to be something akin to downloading a data file from the internet. I think a better analogy for learning is that of building an extension to a house. I’m not a builder so please excuse the bad analogies in advance. Learning is about finding the right building blocks that connect with the existing structure (i.e. a student’s current knowledge and understanding). Sometimes it might be necessary to knock down existing walls (i.e. false ideas and misconceptions) to make room for the new structures you want to build. And sometimes you might need to add new structural support to the house (i.e. giving students lots of practice with the concepts) to keep everything in place. Depending on the house and on the expansion, this can be easy or it can be a challenge. But that challenge is not a bad thing. It’s an essential part of the process. Because without facing that challenge, nothing will ever get built.

So now I have a lot more patience and understanding for anyone learning how to code. I don’t see their struggle as a problem. I see it as a sign that they are on the path to building something great!

Growing creative problem solvers

Probably the biggest realization I’ve had since I started teaching is that the value that I provide my students is more than merely teaching them how to code. I’m teaching them how to solve problems.

Software developers are probably some of the most creative problem solvers out there. Everyday they are tasked to solve technical problems that are complex enough to make the head of the average spin a thousand times over. The key is to their success is a structured approach that they use when tacking each problem. This same approach is highly applicable to areas outside of coding and can provide kids benefits for future career opportunities as well as help them find solutions to problems they encounter on a regular basis.

Something I’ve been taking on since making this realization is not just giving my students the answers to problems when they get stuck, but also showing them strategies that can be used to solve any problem and coaching them to use it as often as possible.  

Are you a coding instructor? What are some of your takeaways from your experience? Feel free to share them in the comments below.