‘The training I received developed capacities and abilities in me in the face of logical and critical thinking. I learned to solve problems by designing creative activities for my students. That is why I have a commitment to implement it, and will do it from a gender perspective.' - Jackeline Matallana Rivera, Institución Educativa Antonio Nariño, Corregimientos de Nariño, Boyaca, Colombia
Life cycle
2019 to 2022
Country/Region
Colombia
Client/Partner
Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies (MinTIC), and the Ministry of Education (MEN)
Vision
The project’s vision was to enhance the integration of cutting-edge coding methodologies and innovative teaching practices within public education. By empowering teachers with pedagogical, content and technical skills and fostering a culture of gender inclusivity, the initiative aimed to transform educators into multipliers of computational thinking, thereby significantly impacting the development of students’ STEM capabilities.
Situation
The Coding for Kids programme aimed to train up to 20,000 schoolteachers to incorporate computational thinking into their lessons, using the Micro:bit pocket-sized computer. The programme featured two courses: an introductory level course, which began in 2019, and an advanced course for those who completed the initial training since 2020. This initiative allowed teachers to explore and refine their teaching methodologies, boosting student engagement with technology. The programme also included the development of the GreenTIC app since 2021 to support fostering computational thinking subskills and an institutional support scheme since 2022. M&E were conducted by Universidad del Norte.
Implementation
The programme offered two levels of training –beginner and advanced – up to 20,000 teachers nationwide, focusing on the use of the microdevice and other bespoke materials in classrooms. Designed with a gender-inclusive approach, it aimed to encourage more women in STEM fields through evidence-based pedagogical practices. Training was provided through both online and blended formats, ensuring broad accessibility for participants. The GreenTIC app was introduced to enhance skills such as debugging, algorithmic thinking, logical reasoning, decomposition, abstraction, and pattern recognition. In 2022, an institutional support scheme for 250 schools was implemented to offer onsite training and evidence-based improvement plans towards a framework of development in computing sciences based on the NCCE’s and UK experience.
Impact
The programme achieved significant results: through pre and post testing and self-report, it was possible to identify statistically significant improvements in teachers content knowledge (with greater progress for female teachers), computational thinking and technological self-efficacy. Teachers reduced their benevolent sexism because of their participation in the beginner's level of the programme (2020, 2021 and 2022). The participating teachers also reduced their gender bias (2020-2021) and their benevolent stereotypes (2022). In 2021 and 2022, most teachers (~71%) suggested they would implement at least one pro-gender equality pedagogical practice. In terms of the GreenTIC app, girls increased their preferences towards a career in STEM. Both boys and girls significantly increased their self-efficacy in computational thinking after playing and when compared to the control group (who did not use the app), 8–12-year-old kids showed better gains in debugging and 13 years+ showed better gains in decomposition and pattern recognition.
Mutual benefit
The Coding for Kids programme fostered substantial mutual benefits for both Colombia and the UK. Over 90% of teachers utilise evidence-based pedagogical practices to develop students’ computational thinking skills. The programme has enhanced teachers’ understanding of these concepts, with nearly half sharing their knowledge with others and two-thirds valuing the mentorship provided. The UK’s reputation as a leader in educational innovation has been strengthened by the work in app and institutional support. The GreenTIC website achieved top-10 relevance in Spanish searches for computational thinking as well as 250 public schools in Colombia were chosen as “Coding for Kids Schools”. Using and adaptation to the NCCE’s Computing Quality Framework which included “Gender equality” as a reference, we identified specific areas of strengths and weaknesses to provide bespoke pedagogical accompaniment that promoted school-level changes in teachers, head teachers, and students.