Emphasize that Scratch is REAL coding; this lets students know that programming in educational languages like Scratch or Python is valuable even though these languages aren’t commonly used in industry.
- Students often think Scratch is a computer game, and don’t realize that Scratch is a programming language made to help them learn computer programming.
- We often want students to both learn these computer-programming skills and develop their confidence that they could learn more. To achieve this, it is important to emphasize that Scratch is a programming language and not a game!
- If students feel like they’re working in a useful language, they will be motivated to learn valuable computer science skills that will help them in other languages.
- To learn more, watch Mark Guzdial’s CS Education Zoo interview.
- See this and related tips as a Tip Sheet: http://csteachingtips.org/tips-for-teaching-scratch