W

Scaffolding

and

Coding as Literacy

Feedback

Since the release of v6, we've consistently received the same feedback:

• the drills get too difficult too fast
• there's not enough practice
• the readings don't cover everything needed for the drills

"It doesn't matter what subject you teach, differences in students performance are affected by how much they engage in deliberate practice."

Changes to FEWD

• Add more drills to practice basic skills
• Add new types of drills:
  • Debugging drills
  • Reading drills

Changes to LEARN

• Add a section on Learning to Learn
  • The importance of research
  • How to search for answers
  • Reliable resources

Coding as Literacy

• Literacy = Reading + Writing
• Right now, we only focus on the writing
• Learning to read code will reinforce writing skills
• Students will need to read others' code when they become professional web developers

Reading Drills

• Students will be given a completed coding challenge, which they comment on, explaining what each chunk of code does.