Fall SAVY 2016 (Day 5) – Robotic Programming

Posted by hallep on Monday, October 24, 2016 in Grade 1, Grade 2, SAVY.

Greetings!

 Today was an absolutely fabulous day!  I have worked with gifted children for more than a decade, and I have seen how hard it is to teach gifted children how to learn from failure because they simply aren’t used to it.  When things typically come easily, it can be very frustrating and disheartening when something becomes challenging.  Our goal, as educators and parents, is to teach our children to be resilient and learn to overcome obstacles.  That has been a big part of this class!  Programming is not always easy.  In fact, there are multiple rewrites and lots of close examination to determine what isn’t working so that the programmer can make the program work.  That is why there are so many updates for our phones and computers! 

 This class is no exception.  The kids have had to learn to be resilient and learn from their mistakes in order to be successful, and they have done so fantastically!  I couldn’t be more proud! They have gone from the “I can’t do it!” or “I need help!” stage to the doggedly determined that they will figure it out stage!  That is huge!  They still ask for help, but it is for guidance, not for saving, and they are asking each other and collaborating and creating amazing things!  I love that some of them will say “this is easy” and immediately get stuck, and rather than get upset, they will persevere and figure out the solution!  That is what today was like.  They literally didn’t want to eat snack, go to the bathroom, or take breaks because they were so focused on what they were doing.  Many would graze, go back to work on their program, go graze, then go back to work, and so on because they did not want to stop.  It makes my heart happy to see them so involved and motivated!

 They can hardly wait for you to see what they have been working on next week!  They are choosing what they want to show you, and I can assure you, it all took a lot of work and effort!  I cannot tell you what a privilege it has been to see them grow and mature as programmers.  They have made immeasurable strides!

 Have a great week!

Dr. Mall