The introduction of Digital Technologies into the F-6 primary curriculum is a pivotal step in spreading the skill of coding in Australia. This is an exciting but challenging addition, and many teachers find the subject matter unfamiliar and daunting. The resources and support are out there, but time and focus are always at a premium.

At Spread the Code, we do offer our own coding lessons, but we strongly believe that the best way to teach kids coding and software design is at schools. Coding is integrated into our everyday lives, so it follows that its teaching should be integrated with other learning areas.

Spread the Code can work together with primary schools to establish and grow a guaranteed and viable Digital Technologies curriculum and related capabilities. We do this by working closely with the school staff, empowering them to take on Digital Technologies and deliver high-quality teaching on a day-to-day basis.

Our goal is to achieve real and lasting results, with the services and activities being merely means to an end. We are results-driven, independent, and time-efficient. 

We start with a no-charge, no-obligation initial discussion to understand your school's Digital Technologies goals and where you are in your journey. We then submit a proposal of how we can collaborate towards your goals, based on your needs and the services we offer, detailed below.

Contact us to arrange an initial discussion. You can reach us on 0418 265 829 or schoolservices@spreadthecode.com.au. We also have a contact form at the end of this page.

Initial Analysis

In our initial discussion, we ask to speak with the school principal or other leads, and explore these key points:

• What are the school's Digital Technologies goals?
• At what stage is the school currently at, with respect to Digital Technologies?
• What are the immediate and future challenges (and opportunities)?

We will also share general, practical tips and resources that might be useful for the school. We share this freely at no charge, in line with our mission to 'spread the code'.

After the discussion we will analyse our findings and submit a proposal recommending actions that we think will help the school. The proposal is open to ongoing discussion and will be the basis of our collaboration. 

Each collaboration will be different as we will take into account the specific goals and operations environment of the school. There will be a mix of some or all of our services below, and naturally this will evolve over time based on results and feedback.

Teacher Capability

To achieve a lasting, sustainable Digital Technologies curriculum in a school, it is crucial that we empower and uplift the digital capabilities of the teaching staff. 

Some staff may be hesitant to take on this challenge, as they view coding and computer science to be mysterious and inaccessible. This must be overcome: how could teachers effectively teach Digital Technologies if they are not confident in their own knowledge?

The fortunate truth is that while computer science as a whole is an extensive discipline, the skills and concepts required for the F-6 curriculum is but a subset and can be acquired within a reasonable time. We can help break down this required subset into more accessible chunks and help teachers learn them.

Once teachers are confident in their ability, they can then employ their existing, core instructional skills to deliver high-quality Digital Technologies lessons. Note that this becomes a self-sustaining investment in Digital Technologies, as the staff can now develop and evolve their own curriculum going forward.

We can improve teacher capability via a mix of methods:

• Personal development sessions covering the curriculum and coding concepts.
• Coaching in understanding Digital Technologies concepts, and how to teach them.
• In-class modelling and support.
• Practical examples, lesson plans, and resources. 
• Ongoing follow-up support and advice via email or discussion groups.

Coding Clubs

Just like in other areas, effective differentiation is a challenge in Digital Technologies. Some students will take longer to achieve their learning outcomes, while others are years beyond their current band and would need meaningful challenges to keep growing. This problem is arguably amplified in Digital Technologies as (a) the curriculum is still in its early stages and (b) the teachers may not have the knowledge required to stretch the high-achieving students. In most schools there is also the issue of time and resource, which would naturally be consumed by higher priority areas such as numeracy and literacy.

After-hours coding clubs can address some of these challenges. Students of similar levels (typically on either end of the achievement spectrum) can work on additional tasks to help them achieve their expected growth, with minimal impact to the school's core instructional  hours. Spread the Code can coordinate and teach these classes, which will be linked to the core in-class work via regular reporting.

We would love to collaborate with your school on Digital Technologies. Please note that we are currently based in Melbourne. Contact us for more details and to arrange an initial discussion. You can reach us on 0418 265 829 or schoolservices@spreadthecode.com.au. You can also use this form.