Boys & Girls Clubs of Lawrence, Massachusetts, Yearlong Volunteerism, Fall 2023 - Present (in person)
Last fall, I began teaching coding basics to children ages 6-12. I noticed that the students were not engaged and did not see their own lives/experiences reflected in the lessons. So, I expanded the curriculum and launched the “Fun Robot Initiative,” helping bring the children’s imaginative creations to life. Currently, I manage 10-15 volunteers, and I’m finding new ways to harness my students’ creative spirit through the magic of engineering.
My Responsibilities.
I structure the class in two main types of activities:
Learning how to program in Scratch; basic elements of creating games, teaching how to use public resources to get and adapt code fragments, etc.
Assemble and program simple robotic kitsets
I meet with the group once (or twice) per week for 90 min, since the Fall of 2023.
15 children participate in the program in every session.
Many of the children are now in year 2 of their involvement, which is very rewarding to see.