Learning to Code Starts Early at Silverstein Hebrew Academy

Great Neck, NY (December 16, 2016): At Silverstein Hebrew Academy, students are hard at work learning to code. A recently implemented coding program keeps students engaged while learning 21st century skills. Through an interface that teaches the basics of coding, staff members are opening students’ minds to the possibility of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) related careers to get students ready for higher education and the job markets of the future.

“Students intuitively understand what they are doing, and there is a lot of critical thinking as they arrange the sequence of coding blocks to get the result they are looking for,” said Shireen Butman, Head of School at Silverstein Hebrew Academy. “The response from the program has been terrific. The students have been completely in awe with what they are learning and enjoy seeing how math is used in the ‘real world’ to code and animate.”

Mr. Buchmann, who is also the computer teacher at Silverstein Hebrew Academy, teaches students in third grade through middle school how to code with his own curriculum, along with material developed by Code.org and Scratch.mit.edu’s interface. An example of the Silverstein Hebrew Academy’s coding curriculum includes younger students practicing directional skills needed to move their avatars, while the middle school students learn to digitally interact with one another’s digital characters through coding.

“All of the lessons reinforce concepts and skills taught in other subject areas by integrating math, science standards and English language arts,” said Ms. Butman. “We also build on these skills; right now we are preparing the middle school students for our next unit in which they will learn to program an Arduino, or microcontroller, to program various types of sensors that are used in modern technology.”

In addition, the Silverstein Hebrew Academy staff dedicates one period a week to teaching students how to become computer literate through learning keyboarding and becoming familiar with Microsoft Office programs. This initiative is intended to expose students to the digital platforms that are essential for the expanding technology industries and to prepare them for a possible career in tech fields.

For further information about the Silverstein Hebrew Academy, visit http://www.shagn.org, or call the school at 516-466-8522.

Photo SHA: Silverstein Hebrew Academy’s Middle School students learn to think creatively and work collaboratively while learning to code in the classroom.

Photo SHA 2: The curriculum at Silverstein Hebrew Academy provides students with an engaging method to learn how to code.