How to teach coding with confidence using the BBC micro:bit

BBC Teach > micro:bit - the next gen

Primary school teacher Manon Watkins has been teaching children to code using the BBC micro:bit for five years at schools in Wales. She was looking into different tools that could help her pupils develop coding skills and having no prior experience in coding, she decided the BBC micro:bit might be a good tool to start with.

So as schools around the UK start to receive their free micro:bits as part of the BBC micro:bit – the next gen campaign, we asked Manon to tell us in her own words about her journey teaching with the pocket-sized computer…

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7 simple tips to teach coding with the BBC Micro:bit

1. Getting to grips with the micro:bit for the first time

Having no background in coding, I was a little apprehensive about teaching pupils coding skills. What helped build my confidence was taking time to experiment and try some simple things out. I also spoke to a colleague who had taught coding in a primary school and it was reassuring to hear that you don’t need to know everything to teach coding. Start small, and then you will gain confidence and so will your pupils. Even to this day, pupils love to be able to say they have taught me something!

It was a few years back when I first heard about this small affordable device that could be used in the classroom to teach coding. Looking at a micro:bit for the first time I was intrigued, as I’d always thought that schools would need a big budget for physical computing.

I was able to find out more information about the micro:bit on the website, which showed me all the features such as the LED display, accelerometer, microphone and speaker. I followed a course on the website to get to grips with using the micro:bit. This was easy to do, and it set out information and videos in a clear and informative way. I couldn’t wait to see what could be done with this small but mighty device. But first, I had to learn how to use it myself…

2. Using the MakeCode website for the first time

When I first saw the coding platform MakeCode, which can be used to code the micro:bit, I was pleasantly surprised at how straightforward it all looked. I was able to see a simulation of the micro:bit as I coded it and all of the coding blocks were organised into drawers. Previous to this I hadn’t done much coding myself and knew I needed to further develop my understanding as this is a key skill that my pupils need to develop.

"I was pleasantly surprised at how straightforward it all looked”

Within a few moments I had put a simple code together and got the LED lights flashing on the micro:bit simulator. I then plugged in my micro:bit, paired it with my device and clicked download to transfer the code onto my very own microbit. It was really satisfying to see my own code brought to life almost instantly on the physical device. I knew at that moment my pupils were going to love this, and could see it would be an exciting and engaging way to develop computing and computational thinking skills.

3. Preparing for my first lesson

I was excited but apprehensive about my first lesson using the micro:bit with my pupils. I used the micro:bit website for ideas and inspiration during my preparation as there are some wonderful lesson plans on the website.

I decided to start off simple. I plugged in my micro:bit and had MakeCode up on the classroom screen. The first element I introduced to the pupils was ‘input’, and I described how there are different ways we can get the micro:bit to do different things such as ‘when it starts up’ or ‘when I press button A’. I showed them the basic drawer on the MakeCode site where you will find most of the coding blocks you need to start a micro:bit project (see below). I then showed an example using the ‘on start’ block and I demonstrated how to display an image of the heart using the LED lights.

4. Listening to feedback from pupils

After showing a couple of examples it was amazing to hear the feedback and ideas from the pupils. They could already see many possibilities with the coding blocks we had looked at and couldn’t wait to get started. I gave them the task of coding the LED lights to show an image on the micro:bit, working in mixed ability pairs. I had them working on laptops and hadn’t given out the micro:bits yet, I wanted them to concentrate on the MakeCode platform and checking the code on the micro:bit simulator first. I was amazed how quickly the pupils were able to code and there was a real buzz in the classroom.

"It was amazing to hear the feedback and ideas from the pupils”

After everyone had created a code and used the simulator, we came back together as a class and I demonstrated how to download the code onto the micro:bit. I then gave each pair a micro:bit and a USB cable. Some pupils found this part more challenging, especially ones with weaker mouse skills, but working in mixed ability pairs helped. This was the most frantic part of the lesson where I tried to get around everyone that needed help. Pupils who confidently transferred the code onto the micro:bit helped other pupils to complete this task.

It was interesting to observe the SEND pupils who struggle with social and emotional needs during this lesson. They were excited, engaged, and towards the end of the project had shown more resilience and perseverance skills. One child in particular who rarely spoke was so animated and talkative about what he had managed to create.

I realised how well the peer-to-peer support worked and wondered if this was something that could be developed further, not only to help pupils but teachers too.

5. Training other teachers to use the micro:bit

After a few successful micro:bit lessons in my own classroom and following an enthusiastic response from the pupils, I shared my experiences with the rest of the teaching staff at our school. They were amazed to see that coding could be taught in a fun and engaging way and were blown away by some of the things young pupils could create, developing computational thinking skills along with problem solving skills.

"They were amazed to see that coding could be taught in a fun and engaging way and were blown away by some of the things young pupils could create”

For the teacher training, I followed the same format as my lesson with the pupils, encouraging teachers to tinker and see what they could create. I then directed them to the micro:bit website to explore the projects page and the professional development page where they could further develop their knowledge.

6. Developing a micro:bit champion programme among pupils

Many teachers embraced the micro:bits and gained confidence in using them in the classroom. But some teachers were more reluctant due to lack of confidence in themselves and worried that the pupils knew more than them.

To tackle this, I decided to put together a group of micro:bit champions or digital leaders, these were pupils with a keen interest in micro:bits and coding. Their role was an invaluable one in my goal of developing the use of micro:bits in our school. Not only did they support pupils and teachers’ use of micro:bits in the classroom, but they also shared ideas, held assemblies, planned competitions and helped create resources.

We wanted to develop STEM corners in our classrooms, and with the Digital Leaders’ help, we created micro:bit challenge cards which showed examples of different code and different projects. One example was ‘Can you create a thermometer?’ and on the challenge card the code needed to create a thermometer was shown. These challenge cards were very effective, giving pupils and teachers confidence in trying different things and then experimenting and adapting the code example. This also gave inspiration and support to teachers in incorporating the micro:bit in cross-curricular projects.

7. Helping teachers to further boost their confidence

I provided further training for our teachers which included demonstrating Micro:bit Classroom, which makes sharing and saving code much easier. As the teachers’ confidence grew and with the addition of support from digital leaders within each class, pupils were not only developing an increasing number of coding skills but were also able to develop creative and innovative solutions using the micro:bit in their STEM corners and in their class projects.

The micro:bit is a great addition to my classroom and a wonderful way to explore the world of computational thinking and to develop my pupils’ digital skills across the curriculum.

For more information on the free training available for teaching with the micro:bit visit our teacher training page.

Please be aware that some of the links on this page will take you away from the BBC.

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