Adult learners
« Computer Science Education
- Login to post comments
Roberto Catanuto
Member
January 01, 2013
I'm going to start the second term of my after school club about creative programming.
I wonder if it is possible to involve also some parents in the programming course.
Have you had any experience about it ?
Do you think adults could be engaged in learning programming ?
Thank you very much.
Of course adults can learn programming! But probably not all parents of those at your club will be interested.
I ran a 10-week after-school Computer Club for 8/9-year-olds last term, based wholly on Scratch. For weeks 5 and 10, I asked the children to invite their parents (or family or carers) to come too, so they could show them what they had been doing. Some parents couldn't and some didn't, but many did. At least one earned a living from IT, several were quite unfamiliar with computers, and there were all shades in between.
You might find parents interested to join in learning with their offspring, or parents able to volunteer to help others learn. At a practical level, the offspring might have strong views on whether their parents should be involved, and of course adults may need some form of clearance before being able to learn or work with children.
A first step might be to run a one-off open session as a taster. Good luck with whatever you decide to try!