A year of codes and robots at Fairmount High
With Artificial Intelligence (AI) taking over the world it’s no secret that coding and robotics are the future and South African education system needs to keep up with the times and that’s exactly what Fairmount High School is doing.
Earlier this month the school celebrated their coding and robotic club’s one-year anniversary and pupils have made tremendous strides since their inception a year ago.
The primary goal of the club was to introduce pupils to the fundamentals of coding and robotics and equip them with the skills needed for the future of the industry and although the subject is not part of curriculum the group are a dedicated bunch who meet during intervals, after school and on Saturdays.
One of the teachers who facilitates the programme, Jonathan Fisher, said over the past year the club has made significant progress in its curriculum, transitioning from coding to robotics in progressive phases.
“The aim is to expose and introduce the pupils to the basics of coding and robotics. For them to gain the skills of computational thinking, critical thinking and effective communication in a team and to understand that coding and robotics is the way of the future and an essential 21st century survival kit,” said Mr Fisher.
Phase 1 and 2 of the lessons they have incorporate an app with coding puzzles blocks. Phase 3 is done in the computer lab, phase 4 is all about building and engineering design for robotics. Initially the club was only open to Grade 8 pupils but many pupils didn’t have phones which dropped their initial club of 60 pupils down to under 10 and they had to open the club up to higher grades to get more pupils to join who had phones.
Mr Fisher said he and science teacher Natasha Fry happily offer up their time and service to keep the club running.
“We as teachers do this as an additional extra-mural activity in an attempt to keep our pupils from being on the streets, as gangsterism and drugs is rife in the communities in which they live. Also, with the very high unemployment rate in Parkwood, a future seems dim to non-existent,” said Mr Fisher.
“They need skills that will be marketable and give them an edge in order to secure a job where there are few to no jobs already. This coding club is a desperate attempt by us to help salvage a possible future by giving them skills to be able to work in the digital age of technology.”
He added that they’ve introduced the children to an "unplugged" version of coding which means that they do not need a constant internet connection as the children cannot afford internet access or devices of their own.
The club received a grant loan of Lego spike equipment for a period of one year only and have been making full use of the equipment but are urgently in need of more funding to continue their coding and robotics programme. They’re also in need of smart devices like tablets to load the coding apps onto it.
“We desperately need refurbished second-hand smart devices or hand me down smartphones to help us continue the club and grow so that we can compete in local and international programmes,” said Mr Fisher.
Former principal Terrence Klassen said he is proud of the initiative and hopes they’ll be able to encourage and help other schools in the area to start their own clubs.
“The world is going in that direction and technology is blossoming so we need to make sure that our students are ready for the future. We are preparing our children so they are not a lost generation so we decided to start the club to give them a head start and we are the first of the schools to do so, so we are tremendously proud and need as much assistance as possible,” said Mr Klassen.
Anyone willing to donate phones, tablets, equipment or money to finance theses needs are welcome to contact the school on 021 705 1826 or 021 705 1852 or email to fairmountss@gmail.com.