In an increasingly digitalized world, it is crucial that children are given the opportunity to familiarize themselves with technology and programming at an early age. The proGTA Calliope Mini project offers exactly this opportunity and enables primary school children to learn the basics of programming in a fun way.
The Calliope mini is a versatile single-board computer, specially designed for use in elementary school. It offers children from the third grade a creative approach to the digital world and promotes not only programming, but also important skills such as teamwork and teamwork and problem-solving skills. Through various web-based development environments, students can put their ideas into practice and learn through play.
In this blog post, we take a look behind the scenes behind the scenes and talk to our dedicated coaches Yvonne and Wojciech. share their experiences, challenges and the joy they experience when working with the young explorers. Let yourself be inspired and experience how the project not only enriches the students, but also the coaches themselves.
Interview with our Coach Yvonne
Where did the interest in participating in the project come from? Why are you involved in the project?
In November 2022, I was invited to the launch event of Silicon Saxony’s Calliope GTA project. I was immediately enthusiastic about the project’s approach and wanted to get involved. At the event, I met the headmistress of the primary school in Dohna. After some organizational arrangements, the GTA launched in February 2023.
What do you think are the most important skills a Calliope Coach should bring?
It is certainly an advantage if you already have experience with the daily chaos of children and can react to it calmly. You should also be just as curious as the children.
What was your most beautiful experience at the GTA?
What excites me every week is that many children are already there at 7 a.m. to help with the preparations, although the all-day program doesn’t start until 7:25 a.m. One of the best experiences was when we used the Calliope Mini to set the Calli:bot, a robot car, in motion last school year. The classroom was transformed into an obstacle course and everyone had a lot of fun tinkering and playing.
What challenges do you face during the GTA?
It is a challenge to support all the children in 45 minutes so that they go home with a sense of achievement. The technical preparation, such as ensuring that the laptops are ready for use, also takes time. Careful lesson planning is necessary due to the children’s different prior experience with computers. In the beginning, I experienced planning too much for a lesson, so it is more effective to plan less and ensure that everyone has a sense of achievement. It is also worth mentioning that children’s media skills vary, but in Calliope lessons, the use of technology gradually becomes more routine.
How do you see the future of Calliope GTAs in primary schools? Do you think early learning of programming will play an even more important role in the future?
The demand for Calliope GTAs at elementary school is high, reflecting the interest of schools and children. In addition to programming, the children acquire basic skills in logical thinking and safe use of computers. As not all children have access to a computer at home, the GTA provides a valuable opportunity to develop these skills. It is important that the children understand that computers only do what they are told to do. This helps them to recognize responsibility for their own input. Accurate work, such as attention to upper and lower case, is crucial as even small deviations can lead to errors. The course also teaches the first principles of network security and responsible use of computers.
Interview with our coach Wojciech
Wojciech has been working as a coach in the proGTA Calliope Mini project since September 2023 and brings his passion for technology and education to the DPFA Regenbogen Grundschule in Görlitz. Every week he leads a double lesson of 90 minutes, in which he teaches the students the basics of programming.
What motivated you to become a coach for the Calliope Mini Project?
I learned about our company’s primary school support program at an internal meeting. I then contacted my local coordinator in Görlitz to find out how to integrate my daughter’s school into the program. The answer was simple: I should train myself and take over the lessons.
What do you enjoy most about your coaching activity?
The children’s enthusiasm is the greatest reward for me. It is also very helpful that ZEISS Digital Innovation supports and accounts for the teaching time, which prevents it from becoming a burden in the daily work routine that would not be sustainable in the long term.
What is special about your school that makes working as a coach unique?
The school where I teach is relatively small, and the Calliope lesson has been introduced as an additional subject for fourth grade. This means that I must involve all children, including those who are less interested or less able to achieve due to developmental problems. This is both interesting and challenging, as I have to deal with the classic teacher problems: planning the lesson in such a way that the talented students do not get bored, the slower ones still learn something and the midfield gets solid knowledge.
What advice would you give to coaches just starting out?
I recommend the Cornelsen exercise books for grades 3 and 4 as they contain some good tips and units. Overall, however, you have to work out the topics and the course of the lesson yourself for the most part. It would be useful to collect the coaches’ experiences and lesson plans centrally in order to share best practices and interesting topics and make them publicly available.
What role do you see for coding in the education of the future?
At the primary school level, it’s about showing kids that technology isn’t black magic, but something they can master and use for their own accord. You can show them the possibilities of the hardware and introduce basic concepts such as loops and variables. In the time available, children can build and program something of their own with support, but not completely independently. At the high school level, it would be useful to offer a decent programming lesson so that students can master Python or Visual Basic in the Office environment, for example.
Moving into the digital future together
We at ZEISS Digital Innovation are delighted to be part of the proGTA Calliope Mini project since 2023 and to contribute to digital education with our seven dedicated coaches in Dresden and Görlitz. Our aim is to introduce primary school students to the fascinating world of programming and to accompany them on their journey into the digital future.
To make it easier for schools to participate in the project, we provide a loan set of Calliope Minis that can be borrowed if required. Many schools already have their own devices, which further supports integration into lessons.
In addition, we regularly organize Calliope Coach meetings at our premises. These events offer a great opportunity to exchange knowledge and network with other coaches from the region. In this way, we not only promote the further development of our coaches, but also the exchange of best practices and innovative ideas.
We look forward to further developments and to inspiring even more children for technology and innovation.
Related links:
Learn to program with Calliope mini | proGTA – Programming with Calliope mini
Experience robotics – DPFA Görlitz
This post was written by:
