Coding careers are full STEAM ahead at Trinity Primary School
Using free My World of Work Live teaching materials, STEAM teacher Karen Walsh has learned new skills as well as inspiring the next generation of coders.
In 2022, after taking on the role of STEAM teacher at Trinity Primary School in Edinburgh, Karen began searching for opportunities for her pupils to learn from industry experts.
The My World of Work Live programme from Skills Development Scotland stood out as a fun and exciting way to introduce careers in digital technologies to her P5-P7 pupils.
My World of Work Live delivers face-to-face and virtual sessions across Scotland to thousands of young people aged 8-18 each year. The programme continues to evolve, with new activities and workshops that are responsive to industry demands and provide career inspiration to the future generation.
“It’s great to do the session with David, but that’s not always possible due to our timetable and how popular the programme is, and I didn’t want one class to get this great experience and not another – so it was good to be able to upskill and learn to deliver it myself!” said Karen.
She added: “When I first took on STEAM, the technology bit wasn’t something I had a huge background in. When you look at the actual outcomes, there’s ones about that element and I thought ‘I don’t know how I’m going to cover those’ - but now I can do it for myself, and it’s given me lots of new skills.”
More than 260 pupils at Trinity Primary School have now experienced the sessions, with Karen planning to deliver more this year.
"The fact that this is all free is amazing! That you can get this level of expertise for the kids, on something they are so passionate about is amazing. It’s such good value."
Karen Walsh
STEAM teacher, Trinity Primary School (Edinburgh)
Delivering Games Design sessions in the classroom
Karen explained how she learned to deliver the sessions: “I think anyone familiar with coding could easily deliver the session just using the materials available, but I found it best having David deliver a session first for me and then I could follow it and take screenshots.”
“David also sent me on a very useful booklet with all the materials I’d need and there’s really detailed information available, he’s also really good at getting back to me if I have any questions.”
However, since starting to deliver the sessions herself, Karen’s found that there are others she can rely on for help whenever she needs it – her pupils!
She said: “The kids are so much more intuitive with using the software. I had three boys in one class who were amazing, they added bits to their game which they then shared with classmates. They were able to pause and go and help others if they ever got stuck.”
And the reaction from the pupils to this fun classroom activity has been really positive.
Karen said: “It’s delivered against lots of the curriculum, including cyber resilience and safety, programming language concepts, listening skills and discussion of jobs.
“One of my pupils wants to be a games designer but had never designed a game, and he was so happy that he’d actually got to do that, and said ‘now I can do that as job!’”
When delivering the sessions herself, Karen said there’s not much she changes from the original My World of Work Live lesson: “Why ruin an excellent programme? I’ve been able to build on David’s lesson, going at my own pace, making time to adapt so that if we have time at the end, the kids can make their own characters in the game, which they enjoy.”
For other teachers looking to run their own Game Design sessions using the My World of Work Live programme, Karen’s advice would be: “Get an initial session booked in with the team at My World of Work Live, take lots of screenshots, take your time, and most importantly – let the kids help you!”
Interested in delivering your own session?
Email live@sds.co.uk for more information on booking a My World of Work Live programme or delivering your own in class.