Young learners from Qatar have learned the foundations of coding during an experiential tech workshop held by Studio 5/6 – a Fab Lab established by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology – as part of the Doha Learning Days festival organised by Qatar Foundation (QF)’s global education think tank WISE.
During the interactive workshop, Grade 5 students from SEK International School programmed and created their own arcade games using written codes, which they then installed – with the help of Studio 5/6 tech instructors – in physical game consoles to practically test and try all their features.
Highlighting the importance of learning coding skills, Sabine El Kahi, a project manager at Studio 5/6, which is participating in Doha Learning Days for the second time, said: “At the beginning of the tech revolution, we were bombarded with final products that were so cool to have and play with. And we ended up becoming a community where technology is sold to us to consume.”
“By teaching youth how to code and build the products they wish to have, we are introducing technology in that case as a tool to develop their own solutions,” she said. “In this way, we move from consumer behaviour to being more productive societies.”
“Coding also teaches analytical skills, troubleshooting and critical thinking while students collaborate, support each other and communicate,” El Kahi added. “All these skills are important for us to live as humans together to solve the daily challenges we have, either in technology or not.”
Speaking about on how the informal learning setting benefits students, Zaid Abusini, an edu-tech engineer at Studio 5/6 and the instructor of the workshop, said: “When children are engaged in a learning activity outside the classroom, it takes them out of their routine and comfort zone.”
“It offers them a challenge that makes them start to ask questions, investigate, and even compete, which all gives dopamine to the mind,” he added.
At the end of the workshop, students competed against each other using the games they had created.
“I’m so happy I had the chance to attend the coding workshop, as it allowed me to understand more about coding and using new tools, which will help me develop the Lego exhibition I’m currently working on at school,” said student Zaid Hossam Samara.
Another participant, Khaled Badr, was mostly inspired by the fun and interactive setup of the workshop, saying: “In a classroom, we usually do research and tasks by ourselves. What I liked in this workshop is how we got to learn something new, while communicating with each other.”
This year’s edition of Doha Learning Days centred around youth empowerment and featured interactive workshops and practice-based informal learning activities focusing on career development, financial literacy, tech skills, well-being and the arts.
