Context

Co-teaching with your Coding Coordinator is the best way to get prepared to teach coding independently. Whether you are a Level 1 teacher or a Level 2 teacher, practice is the key to gaining confidence in teaching the 9 Dots curriculum.

The Challenge

Today’s challenge is to pair up with a colleague and practice teaching a 9 Dots lesson together!

9 Dots lessons are broken up into four sections: Activate, Try, Build, and Reflect. When co-teaching we recommend that you begin by teaching at least one of the four sections of the lesson, and gradually take more sections as your confidence improves.

Team up with another teacher, and choose one of your upcoming lessons. If you do not know how to access 9 Dots lessons then watch this short video, or ask one of us for help.

Today you’ll practice by splitting up your selected lesson into the Activate and Try section. Take a couple of minutes to review your selected section of the lesson plan and slideshow. When you are ready you can begin practicing with each other. After you have finished one round, you may swap sections and try it once more, or practice teaching another lesson.

Pro tip: All of our lesson plans are scripted and were tested for student learning. If you’re nervous, just try reading off the script and see how it feels. These lesson plans are made to be easy to teach with no prior knowledge so we encourage teachers to lean on these lesson plans heavily.

Once you are done practicing, click on the graphic organizer below and plan to co-teach an upcoming lesson with your Coding Coordinator.

Tips for Co-teaching with Your Coding Coordinator

  • Communicate with your Coding Coordinator ahead of time on what section you would like to teach or facilitate.
  • If you are uncomfortable coding in front of students, start by leading the narrative slides. Call on students to help you read aloud.
  • Lead the model challenge by using the script in the lesson plan.
  • Involve students during the guided practice. If you’re not sure how to solve a challenge that’s okay. Ask your students to help by solving one step of the problem.
  • Split up the model and guided practice examples with your Coding Coordinator. Have your Coding Coordinator complete the model first, and then follow up by leading the Guided Practice. The challenges are very similar so you’ll learn by watching your Coding Coordinator teach the model first.

Still hesitant to co-teach with us? That’s okay! Use this time to learn more about the coding concepts for your grade level by accessing the Teacher Modules on the 9 Dots Platform.

 
 
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