Instructional Design
Creating inclusive educational designs rooted in cognitive and learning theory.
MeshEd Action Lab
An Introduction to Coding and Gaming for Kids.
In today's world, artifacts of learning are key for the many applications students have to complete for high schools in New York and eventually, for colleges. Currently, middle school students in Brooklyn schools do not have access to artifact-developing opportunities around coding and game design exploration, despite having interest in potentially exploring this career path. Students in schools need opportunities designed for a hybrid model to accommodate for COVID learning that allows them to explore game design and computer science as potential career paths.
Learners
Learning Theory
Learning Goals
Learning Objectives
MeshEd works with a student population of grades 6-12 in Brooklyn schools, primarily STEM-focused schools (though not all schools where our lab will be implemented are STEM-focused). The target learner group for MeshEd's new coding course will be students in grades 5-8.
Learning Theories Used:
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Constructionism
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Metacognition
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Project-Based Learning
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CASEL
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Students will learn foundational coding skills that they can apply to build a game.
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Students will engage in social and emotional learning through collaboration and storytelling.
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Students will demonstrate self-management by describing their goals for the action lab.
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Students will demonstrate self-awareness by completing self-assessments that detail actionable self feedback.
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Students will demonstrate relationship skills through productive group work and peer feedback.
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Students will identify elements of an activity that make it a game.
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Students will describe how fundamental coding principles are used in a game.
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Students will apply two fundamental coding principles in virtual games on a beginner-level platform.
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Students will build a vision board that illustrates the storyline and basic features of a game they would like to design.
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Students will connect the coding and game design skills they have developed with future career paths.
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Students will design a virtual game on a beginner-level platform that implements game design elements such as narrative, rewards, goals, etc., using the ideas they generated on their vision boards.
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Students will develop a basic virtual game based on their designs that incorporates two fundamental coding principles..