Hi everyone, Corey Engstrom here from Learn Grid! I’m thrilled to share a recent conversation I had with Mark Freedkin, General Manager of The Coder School in Irvine, California. It was inspiring to learn about their unique and engaging approach to teaching kids the exciting world of coding. They’re not just another coding class; they’re building future innovators, problem-solvers, and critical thinkers, one project at a time!
A Truly Unique Approach to Coding Education
What immediately stood out to me about The Coder School is their commitment to a highly personalized and project-driven learning environment. Mark explained their philosophy beautifully:
“We maintain a very low ratio of students to instructors. Usually no more than two students working with one instructor. And we focus more on a project based, uh, instructional model rather than a curriculum model.”
This is a game-changer compared to many programs with large class sizes. At The Coder School, the focus is on keeping students deeply engaged. Mark emphasized,
“…our educational philosophy is that engagement way more important than learning the theory and the syntax. If they’re engaged, they’ll get those things, but if they’re not engaged, it’s kind of a waste of time for everybody else.”
They even offer remote learning via Zoom, ensuring accessibility for families outside their local Irvine area or those with busy schedules. This flexibility shows their dedication to making coding education available to as many interested students as possible.
The “Code Coach” Philosophy: Mentoring Young Innovators
Instead of traditional teachers, The Coder School has “Code Coaches” – a term they’ve even trademarked! This really speaks to their emphasis on mentorship and encouragement. Mark described how these coaches guide students:
“The code coaches will work with the students and guide them the process of developing their project. And we never say, now type this, now type this now type this. ’cause nobody learns that way. Instead, we engage them, we ask them questions, what do you think we would do to this character in your game to make the game more difficult or make the game easier? And we get them thinking…”
This Socratic method fosters critical thinking and allows students to truly own their learning. Mark shared a wonderful insight into how this flexibility sparks genuine discovery:
“…let’s say we’re teaching ’em this… And they go, ‘Ooh, well if I can do this, ah. Can I also do that?’ Now, we haven’t taught ’em that we taught ’em this, but they realize that that possible, that we go teach ’em that. And the only way that works is if you have that flexibility in the curriculum and the planning to be able to go off and do that.”
This approach ensures that learning isn’t just about following instructions, but about exploring possibilities and building confidence.
Igniting Passion: From Drag-and-Drop to Real-World Languages
The Coder School caters to a wide age range, from 7 to 18, tailoring the tools to the students’ developmental stages. Younger students, typically under 10, start with Scratch, a block-based coding language developed by MIT.
“It’s called block coding…of little colorful building blocks of essentially pseudo code that they can drag and drop and they snap together like puzzle pieces or Legos, and they’re actually able to build up the logic without requiring a lot of typing skills.”
This allows them to grasp coding concepts without the frustration of still-developing typing skills. As Mark mentioned, many younger students love creating their own interactive video games with Scratch. Once they’re ready, around age 10 or 11, and are comfortable with typing, they can move on to powerful text-based languages like Python.
“Python, which is a very popular coding language. It’s used by a lot of engineering disciplines is used for artificial intelligence and machine learning. It’s very popular within the computer industry…”
The goal is to fuel that “aha moment” Mark spoke so passionately about:
“It’s very, very satisfying to see the young students have that as I said, that aha moment where they, they figure out something, they learn something, they accomplish something, and they have fun.”
More Than Just Code: Building Critical Thinkers in an AI World
In an age where Artificial Intelligence is a hot topic, some parents might wonder about the necessity of learning to code. Mark offered a grounded perspective:
“My personal opinion about artificial intelligence, which I’ll share with you first, it’s artificial, and secondly, it’s not all that intelligence… some programmer still needs to program the rules for those artificial intelligence engines. The machines themself have no cognitive awareness. They’re just performing the instructions that they’ve been programmed to do.”
This is why The Coder School’s emphasis on foundational skills is so crucial. They’re not just teaching syntax; they’re cultivating essential abilities.
“We’re teaching logical thinking skills. We’re also teaching problem solving skills… That is very empowering for these youngsters to learn that they can solve their own problems rather than getting frustrated and throwing up their hands and discuss and saying, ‘I can’t do this.’”
By developing these core competencies, students are being prepared for a future where they can understand, interact with, and even create the technologies shaping our world.
Your Child’s Coding Journey in Irvine (and Beyond!)
Mark’s passion for ensuring students genuinely want to be at The Coder School is truly admirable. He shared their approach to welcoming new families:
“We give away a free sample lesson as an incentive for parents to come in and check out our services and see if their student likes our teaching methods… If your kid doesn’t wake up in the morning and go, ‘Coder school, I can’t wait!’ If instead they go, ‘Ugh, coder school. Yuck.’ Then I tell them I don’t want their money.”
What a refreshing and family-centered philosophy! The Coder School in Irvine, California, makes it easy for families to get started. Theirprograms are month-to-month, with no long-term contracts, registration fees, or equipment rental costs. They also offer exciting summer coding camps – a great way for kids to dive into coding in a fun, project-based, week-long format. These camps often involve creating games, with friendly competitions and a chance for students to keep access to their projects long-term.
While Mark’s excellent school is based in Irvine, he mentioned that The Coder School is a nationwide franchise with “some 73 locations across the United States.” So, if you’re not in Southern California, there’s a good chance there’s a Coder School near you!
Ready to Explore the World of Coding?
Connect with Mark and his team at The Coder School in Irvine, or find a location near you! They are passionate about helping kids discover the joy and power of coding, fostering not just technical skills but also the self-confidence to make choices in their own lives.
Visit The Coder School Irvine Website Email The Coder School IrvineFind their full listing and learn more on Learn Grid.
Thanks for reading, and happy learning!
Corey Engstrom
Founder, Learn Grid
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