EU Code Week Adventure for Educators

Publication date: February 16, 2024

A transformative training course for dedicated teaching staff was conducted at the “St. Cyril and Methodius” primary school, Skopje on 4-6 December 2023. In this article, EU Code Week Leading Teacher Biljana Stojanovska delves into the impact of the training course and tells how she shared her expertise at the EU Code Week Summer Coding School in Brussels in July.

Organised under the banner of “EU Code Week Adventure for Educators,” the training was conducted with teachers from different profiles. The educators completed the training successfully and productively, particularly with respect to artificial intelligence and application development.

Under Biljana’s instruction, colleagues explored the world of coding and delved into its fascinating aspects. The training aimed to introduce teachers to the basic concepts of coding, algorithmic thinking, and programming. Participants were introduced to the EU Code Week platform and its myriad capabilities, fostering a deeper understanding of its functionalities. From this platform, they found EU Code Week Challenges to be the most interesting.

One of the highlights of the workshop was the application of unplugged coding and the integration of robotics into the curriculum.

Moreover, the teachers had the opportunity to use coding not only as a theoretical concept but also as a tangible skill applicable in the real world. This experience allowed them to explore the potential of coding to improve classroom engagement and learning outcomes.

New paths for engaging learning experiences

The training did not stop at the basics; educators were also introduced to the world of application development. They learned how to use coding skills to create apps, opening new paths for interactive and engaging learning experiences in the classroom.

In particular, they managed to create applications that would benefit their classes and their school subjects, such as an application for simple machines in natural sciences and physics, an application for learning German, an application for practicing Macedonian grammar, an application for repeating mathematical concepts, etc.

The adventure continued through the tools and applications of artificial intelligence in education. Understanding artificial intelligence in teaching and learning became a key aspect of the training.

Also, enabling educators to adapt and integrate cutting-edge technologies into their lessons. In this section, they found the tools MagicSchoolAI, Curipod, and ChatGPT particularly interesting, using them to create lessons, activities, and receive useful guidelines for projects.

A crucial step of the EU Code Week adventure was the identification of interdisciplinary opportunities to implement coding on various topics. Teachers discovered how coding can seamlessly intertwine with other disciplines, offering innovative and holistic approaches to education.

The EU Code Week adventure for educators has proven to be a turning point in the commitment to providing quality education. The training allowed teachers to gain invaluable skills, fostering a generation of students skilled in coding, programming, and technological literacy. As we look to the future, the positive impact of this training on the educational journey of students and the continued evolution of teaching methodologies is anticipated.

Below are some testimonials and feedback from colleagues who attended this course:

“Professionally organised training, excellent trainer with the patience and desire to explain and give guidance to everyone. Interesting examples from practice were shared, from which I obtained many ideas for digitalisation in teaching, giving the opportunity to learn through fun and a way close to the new generations. At the end of the training, I can say that I leave with new knowledge applicable not only in teaching but also in life.” Keti Hristovska (German language teacher)

“The training had many interesting topics that can be applied in teaching. The presentation of codes aimed to foster logical thinking in students. The trainer gave very clear directions, shared interesting examples, and helped us with the tasks.” Lenche Zajkovska (Math and Physics teacher)

“It is my honour and pleasure to have participated in the training: ‘Code Week adventure for teachers.’ Thanks to the leading teacher of Code Week, Biljana Stojanovska, her willingness and skills, I had the opportunity to learn why coding is necessary. She is an excellent educator who helped me understand the concept of coding and its implementation at work. In the future, I would like her to be my educator for all further trainings.” Gorica Boshkovska (Civic Education teacher)

At EU Code Week we love to hear the stories of our community. If you want to share your activities and write your own blog, contact info@codeweek.eu and let us know!