Helping students learn through play

POTLATCH — Students at Potlatch Elementary School jumped into coding for a fourth consecutive year.

Volunteers from Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories visited the school for its annual day-long Hour of Code. Students from first to sixth grade were able to create their own animations and play mini games in Code.org, a program designed to teach the basics of coding.

John Cassleman, SEL’s director of education and community outreach, said part of the reason the company keeps coming is because they enjoy seeing students’ progress.

“It’s a huge success each year,” he said. “We recognize a lot of the same kids, like the ones we saw in first grade are in fourth now. … It’s a privilege to see how much they’ve grown.”

Another reason, he said, is because Principal Jill Diamond keeps asking them back.

“I really see Jill as a leader in the region,” he said. “No other school is doing a full day of coding. We might go to a classroom for an hour, but this is the biggest one by far.”

Diamond said she’s always looking for ways to expand students’ learning opportunities. The idea came when she and her husband Shawn Jordan, a computer programmer at SEL, were talking about overlapping characteristics of work one evening.

“There’s been this global movement that celebrates the specific skill of coding,” she said. “And we wanted to connect our little town to that opportunity students have across the world.”

The event benefits students in many ways. Diamond said kids are introduced to different career paths they may take interest in.

“We want to give them a wide variety of experiences to draw from because you never know what will spark a student’s passion,” she said. “And we want to build confidence early on.”

She said the skills they learn while coding transfer to other aspects of the school day.

“It’s a process that involves lots of problem solving,” she said. “I’ve seen a big uptick in their growth mindset and willingness to fail while not getting frustrated. … I attribute the work we do here as a launching point.”

Taylor Miller, a fourth grade teacher, said her students have been looking forward to the event all year. She said the program is a good balance between playing and learning that keeps kids engaged.

“It’s a good avenue because I think kids learn best through play,” she said.

Danica Richmond, a fourth grader, was busy trying to figure out how to make Flappy Bird jump through obstacles with coding. She likes the game and said she plays it on her home computer outside of school.

Fourth grader Skyler Miller’s favorite part about the program was playing with sound effects. Using coding, she could make Flappy Bird “jingle like reindeer” and make other noises.

In another classroom next door, Paraeducator Sage Noto was watching students experiment with the same game. She said the event is a good way to introduce students to science and teaches them how to solve problems in a new way.

Katelynn Delph, a fourth grader, was able to get through several levels of Flappy Bird. The game gets more complicated and adds more actions as the program advances. She often plays it during free time in class.

Fourth grader Karver Larson said it’s hard to get the bird to do what he wants. He likes figuring out why it won’t listen to him.

“It isn’t hard but it’s not easy,” he said. “It’s fun.”

Code.org is a free program that offers many games and different skill sets. Anyone interested can learn how to code using the educational platform.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com.