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The Benefits of Learning to Code in a Small Class Setting

Published on May 25, 2023 | Posted in ,  

When a student is in the right learning environment, there’s nothing they can’t achieve. Kids take coding classes to have fun acquiring or sharpening their coding skills. Parents understand that we live in a digital world, where the ability to write code is a major advantage when job hunting.

Preparing kids for their eventual entry into the workforce is one reason parents enroll their children in online coding classes for kids. Having fun is the other reason, and at RP4K, it’s one we take extremely seriously.

Our extra small classrooms help make it easier for kids to have fun while absorbing the material. Please read on to learn more about why.

Four Students or Less

At RP4K, classes have a maximum of four students, so at most, your child will have three other students in their class. Such an approach ensures that teachers can lavish their attention and focus on each pupil easily without the risk of students slipping through the cracks.

Classes where teachers struggle to know the names of every student aren’t wonderful learning environments. RP4K classes are small and intimate enough that this could never happen. Our teachers get to know your child and learn how they learn.

There’s a reason why private schools emphasize smaller classrooms so prominently. Kids learn better when the size is capped.

Better Classroom Management

Students can have the best teacher in the world, but if there are too many students, classes tend to break down in disruptions. It can be hard for children and teens to sit quietly and focus on complex tasks without talking to each other or getting distracted.

Whether online or off, small classrooms have fewer distractions since there are fewer people in them to potentially play the role of class clown. Coding involves teaching kids important mathematical concepts, like vectors, integers, and even trigonometry.

Math can be tricky for anybody to learn when they’re in a noisy, disruptive environment. Whether your child is starting out in their coding journey or they’re refiling and improving their skills, learning in a class that has only a few students gives them the best shot possible.

Even if Albert Einstein was somehow teaching you Physics 101, if there were too many students packed into the room, you’d have a hard time learning the material.

Improved Student Engagement

There’s a difference between teachers knowing their students’ names and knowing their students. It’s hard to put into words just how special it is when a teacher and student really form a great connection.

When a student is really inspired, that’s when their chances for learning and fun truly have no limit. Our teachers all have computer science and computer engineering backgrounds, and, like the students, they also grew up playing video games at home.

two young boys writing computer code beside each other

RP4K believes that making classes revolve around showing how to make video games is the best way for kids to learn coding. The teachers we hire know what it’s like being video game-obsessed kids, and between this first-hand experience, their education, and their coding background, RP4K teachers excel at engaging students.

There’s nothing more important than having fun, and keeping kids engaged in coding is much easier when there are only a few other students in the class. Still, kids should also leave the program having learned computer skills that will serve them well in later grades or in the workforce.

RP4K uses gamification dynamics in the classroom to make learning to code and design a video game as engaging for kids as playing one! Using gamification in small sessions is an excellent environment for kids to stay motivated to learn.

No Mandatory Minimum

Some extracurricular programs only run if a certain number of kids enroll. You don’t want to sign up your child for a class only to find out days later that it got cancelled because attendance wasn’t high enough.

RP4K will never do that to you. When you sign up for our programs, you don’t have to cross your fingers that your child will, in fact, be able to take them. We give you full control over your schedule. You won’t have to depend on strangers to sign up for online coding classes.

Even if your child is the only student in the class, they’ll get their teacher’s full attention because our courses never have a mandatory minimum. Kids have had serious disruptions to their education and extracurriculars over the past few years, so both parents and children should welcome any chances to minimize or prevent any more from occurring.

More Fun

Kids enjoy feeling supported, heard, and seen. Apart from the learning benefits of being in a smaller classroom environment, on a basic level, they have a lot more fun in smaller classrooms where it’s easy to form a strong relationship with their teacher.

There’s nothing enjoyable about feeling like you’re barely seen, which can happen in busy classrooms. Even the most adept teacher may struggle to show ample attention to every student when so many fill the class.

RP4K classes are small enough that our teachers and students come to know each other, especially with coding courses twice per week over the summer instead of the ordinary weekly ones. Kids can enjoy learning to code in different types of environments, but small sessions twice as often are very immersive and fun.

As kids’ skills improve rapidly, they’ll feel the sessions paying off quickly, and that translates to more fun.

The environment in which children learn can make all the difference to their success. Coding can be challenging and stimulating, but RP4K has taught it successfully to kids for over 20 years already. A lot may have changed in technology and society over the past two decades, but we cap our class size at four because we know that kids learn best in smaller groups.

If you have any questions or would like to book a free trial before committing long-term, don’t hesitate to contact RP4K.

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