WHO WILL TAKE YOU THROUGH THIS COURSE?

I am a qualified chartered accountant and an artist, with a passion for technology.About a decade ago I left my career in investments to start a robotics and coding education company, because I realised that South African children where not being exposed to robotics and coding fields in their school curriculums.

For the last decade I have been developing age appropriate curriculums and managing a team of tutors to expose our younger generation to technology and to develop their skills in coding and robotics.This is an extremely exciting field, developing fast, and we have enjoyed seeing the children moving through our courses not only become comfortable with the topics, but also develop valuable thinking skills like computational thinking, design thinking and critical thinking.

As part of our outreach programs, each year we have offered workshops to children coming from underpriveleged communities.

Currently we are now seeing many of our learners from the early years, finishing school and entering STEAM fields such as engineering and computer science, both fields with a serious shortage of skills in South Africa, and we are happy to know that we have helped prepare South Africa better for the digital future world.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The learning outcomes for this course are to understand:
• the key background concepts covered in the NSC Foundation Phase Robotics and Coding Curriculum
• the specific learning outcomes outlined in the curriculum
• the exit requirements for each grade level
• effective teaching strategies for each learning outcome
• how the learning outcomes connect and overlap with one another and with other subjects (e.g., Mathematics, Life Skills, etc.)

An additional learning outcome is to equip Foundation Phase teachers with the confidence to teach this subject and to reduce the anxiety or fear that many may feel when introducing a new subject such as Robotics and Coding.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE COURSE

HOW TO TEACH CODING AND ROBOTICS

Learning by Doing… and Having Fun!

It’s a well-known fact that kids learn best when they’re actively engaged. That’s why this course embraces:

• Play-based learning 🧩
• Kinesthetic learning (learning while moving!) 🚀
• Project-based learning 💡

In fact, you could probably teach the entire curriculum without ever picking up a pen!

Integrating Robotics with Other Subjects

Robotics and coding don’t exist in isolation—they naturally overlap with subjects like:

✅ Maths (patterns, sequencing, problem-solving)
✅ Life Skills (logical thinking, teamwork, persistence)
✅ Science (cause and effect, experimentation)
✅ Art & Music (patterns, rhythm, design thinking)

Throughout the course, we’ll share practical ways to seamlessly integrate robotics into your daily teaching—helping you save time while making lessons more dynamic and engaging.

Plugged vs. Unplugged Learning

You don’t need robots or tablets to teach coding! While having a physical robot can be exciting for learners, you can also teach many concepts unplugged—using flashcards, blocks, or even simple games.

However, when possible, working with real technology is valuable. Unlike many subjects where answers can be debated, coding is exact—it either works, or it doesn’t. This helps students develop structured thinking and precision.

The Power of Making Mistakes

Mistakes are one of the best ways to learn—and in robotics, debugging is a whole skill on its own! Finding and fixing errors helps kids develop resilience, logical thinking, and problem-solving abilities. in fact, there is a whole section devoted to debugging...finding and fixing mistakes.

Making zero mistakes is often a sign of someone playing it too safe. We want kids to experiment, take risks, and push boundaries—because that’s where real learning happens!

WHAT IS CODING AND ROBOTICS

CODING AND ROBOTICS

Coding and Robotics represents an interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary subject that integrates the components of STEAM. Science Technology, Engineering Arts and Maths.

It sits at the intersection of several fields:

• Arts, focusing on the design and creative aspects.
• Mechanical Engineering, which deals with the movement and structure of the robot.
• Electrical Engineering, introducing power sources and electronic components.
• Computer Science, which enables communication with computational devices.

Coding and robotics bring together programming principles with the design, construction, and operation of robots. By applying coding concepts, students can program robots to complete specific tasks, blending computational thinking with hands-on problem-solving. This field also incorporates digital concepts—ideas, principles, and processes related to digital technologies and their applications.

The coding and robotics curriculum is built on three key pillars:

• Coding – The process of writing a logical set of instructions that humans or computers can understand and execute. It requires strong computational thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Robotics – The design, operation, and use of robots that can perform tasks either autonomously, semi-autonomously, or through direct control. It gives students the opportunity to bring their ideas to life by designing, coding, and testing their creations.
• Digital Concepts – A broad range of digital literacy skills that empower students to use technology effectively, responsibly, and creatively.

The graphic below is an overview of Coding and Robotics as a subject as presented in the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement. We will discuss the various components.

These graphics have been taken directly from the NSC Coding and Robotics Curriculum booklet.

Follow this link to full booklet

THE 3 PILLARS OF THE CURRICULUM

The curriculum is structured around three core topics:

1. Coding
2. Robotics
3. Digital Concepts

Each of these topics has its own set of learning competencies.

Learning Competencies

Learning competencies refer to the combination of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values that are reflected in observable, measurable, and evaluable behaviors. They define the ability to successfully and efficiently perform specific tasks, leading to desirable outcomes.

In both Coding and Robotics, certain concepts, practices, and perspectives must be repeatedly developed and applied. As a teacher, you will assess whether students have met the required competencies by observing and evaluating how they approach and implement solutions in these topics.

Digital Concepts, however, is assessed differently.

Digital Concepts

Digital Concepts encompass fundamental ideas and principles that support Coding and Robotics. These concepts provide the necessary context and application for these fields. The three key areas of Digital Concepts are:

1. Digital Citizenship
   Digital Citizenship fosters awareness of responsible and ethical behavior in the digital world, including the proper use of digital tools. It involves understanding rights, responsibilities, and behaviors—such as respect, integrity, and safety—when engaging online. Key aspects include:

• • Respecting others’ privacy
  • Preventing and addressing cyberbullying
  • Practicing proper netiquette
  • Promoting digital health and well-being
  • Taking responsibility for actions in digital environments

1. Digital Awareness
   Digital Awareness refers to understanding the competencies, expertise, and mindset needed to effectively use digital tools. This includes recognizing how technology is applied in an increasingly interconnected world. Key areas of focus include:

• • Understanding different types of computing devices and their purposes
  • Exploring the interaction between hardware and software
  • Recognizing the input-process-output model in computing
  • Understanding how digital devices communicate over networks, such as the internet

1. Digital Skills
   Digital Skills encompass the essential abilities required to use digital devices, software, and platforms efficiently. These skills enable individuals to perform a variety of tasks in digital environments. A fundamental component of this is recognizing and utilizing patterns, as pattern recognition plays a crucial role in both coding and robotics.

Lesson Summary

In this course, you will be guided by a qualified chartered accountant and artist with a passion for technology who transitioned to start a robotics and coding education company over a decade ago.

• The course focuses on teaching robotics and coding through play-based, kinesthetic, and project-based learning methods, ensuring active engagement.
• Robotics and coding are integrated with subjects like Maths, Life Skills, Science, and Art & Music, making lessons dynamic and engaging.
• Both plugged (using real technology like robots) and unplugged (using activities like flashcards or games) learning methods are employed to teach coding.
• Mistakes are encouraged as they foster learning, resilience, logical thinking, and problem-solving skills.

Coding and Robotics represent an interdisciplinary subject integrating Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Maths (STEAM) and combining programming with the design, construction, and operation of robots. The field includes digital concepts related to digital technologies and applications.

• The curriculum is built on the three key pillars of Coding, Robotics, and Digital Concepts.
• Competencies in Coding and Robotics involve problem-solving and practical application of knowledge and skills.
• Digital Concepts encompass Digital Citizenship, Digital Awareness, and Digital Skills.

Important information before watching the videos:

Please adjust the video speed to suit your own preferences.

While you play the video a gear icon will appear in the bottom right corner. Click on the gear and speed up or slow down the video play speed.

You will need to watch each video to the end in order to complete the course.

Then you will be required to answer the quiz questions. You will have 2 tries to answer the questions, and will be graded on those answers.

You can also take notes in the video.

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