A Year 6 student, Matthew Chia Jin Quan from NUS High School helping a participant with her coding activity

With a desire to serve and interact with the residents in the neighbourhood, a team of NUS High School students conducted a survey to find out the needs of the community. The survey revealed that several residents in Clementi had little or no coding experience but were keen to learn. Hence, the students decided to leverage their knowledge of computing to meet the needs of Clementi Estate residents.

This led to the birth of Scratch® Workshop. The brainchild of nine NUS High School students, Scratch® Workshop enables participants to learn the basics of computational thinking using a ‘Drag and Drop’ programming language. The 4-hour free workshop conducted in May 2018 was attended by 18 people, with participants ranging from pre-schoolers to retirees.

Work on the project began in early 2018. The students, who volunteered for the project, first conducted research to find out more about the community needs. The students then started brainstorming on areas, with the aim to engage their target audience who had little or no coding experience,. The Scratch® programme was chosen due to its drag and place functions, which they felt was easy and fun to use for beginners.

In preparation for the workshop, the students crafted the lesson plan and teaching resources, rehearsed several times, and even translated instructions to Chinese for participants who are more conversant in the language.

NUS High School student, Ng Quan Hao, conducting the coding workshop, as others provide close guidance.

A computing studies enthusiast, Ng Quan Hao, a Year 6 student at NUS High School felt that this project was very special for him. He shared how doing this project rekindled in him the thirst for learning something new, and igniting that same excitement in others. Through this team project, he learnt the importance of working together and good time management, which ensures the smooth running of events.

“Even though many of the participants were unfamiliar with computers and programming, they tried their best and showed an interest in learning something new. I felt that I should adopt a similar attitude and be passionate about learning new things, making learning truly a lifelong process.”

The participants had the opportunity to put their newly acquired skills to test as they tried their hands at coding a game during the workshop. Due to the students’ rigorous preparation, the workshop received positive feedback from participants. Tan Wei Chun, another Year 6 student, was delighted and encouraged that the participants looked forward to similar workshops in the future. Wei Chun hopes to participate in more of such projects, as it not only improves his teamwork skills, but also brings joy to the participants.

This project is part of the Humanitarian Education programme, which the NUS High School piloted in 2018 with the support from Tay Eng Soon Endowment managed by Temasek Foundation. The Humanitarian Education programme aims to nurture well-rounded learners who contribute to the community.

A total of 49 students participated in the pilot, forming seven project groups, while another 36 students helped out with the projects as they progressed. Apart from this coding workshop, students helmed projects that sought to raise awareness of food waste, conducted a workshop on recycled gardening, educated the community on e-waste management, taught breadmaking without an oven as well as engaged with the elderly to keep their minds and body active. The projects have inspired the students to initiate more meaningful projects, which leverages on their talents in Mathematics and Science, to serve their community needs.