Bringing Pytch into the Classroom 🏫
Declan Quinn, Computer Science Teacher at Larkin Community College, developed a Junior Cycle Coding Classroom-Based Assessment (CBA) using the Pytch application. The CBA gave students the opportunity to explore coding through collaborative, creative and highly personalised project work while also supporting the aims of the Junior Cycle curriculum.
On Thursday 14 May our Project Lead Glenn Strong and Development Lead Ben North visited Larkin Community College to see the students’ completed projects and hear directly from them about their experiences using Pytch.
At Pytch, one of our key goals is to support young people as they move from block-based coding towards text-based programming in a way that feels creative, accessible and engaging. It is always especially exciting for our team to see teachers developing innovative classroom activities that use Pytch in meaningful ways and align closely with the school curriculum.
Teachers interested in exploring Pytch as part of a Junior Cycle Coding CBA can also view Declan’s CBA brief and presentation guidelines here:
Creative and Personalised Projects 💡
The visit offered a fantastic opportunity to see first-hand how students were engaging with coding through creative project work. Working in pairs, students designed and developed a wide range of impressive projects using Pytch. Each project reflected the students’ own interests and ideas, with teams adding imaginative personal touches, creative storylines and customised gameplay elements that made every project feel unique.
Glenn and Ben were hugely impressed not only by the quality of the technical work, but also by the creativity and originality shown throughout the projects. The students demonstrated a strong understanding of programming concepts while also showing confidence in experimenting, problem-solving and adapting their ideas as their projects developed.
Outstanding Presentation Skills 🎤
One of the highlights of the visit was seeing the students present their work. Ben and Glenn were particularly struck by the students’ confidence, enthusiasm and presentation skills as they explained the thinking behind their projects and demonstrated how they had built them.
The students spoke with real ownership and pride about their work, clearly showcasing both their technical learning and their creativity. It was wonderful to see how comfortable and confident the students were in discussing their coding process and sharing their ideas with others.
Supporting the Junior Cycle Curriculum 📚
The projects provided a wonderful example of how Pytch can support the aims of the Junior Cycle curriculum by encouraging computational thinking, collaboration, creativity and communication skills in an accessible and engaging way.
Experiences like this highlight how coding can become a powerful creative outlet for students while also helping them develop valuable technical and presentation skills.
Thank You 💙
We would like to extend a sincere thank you to Declan Quinn and the students at Larkin Community College for welcoming the Pytch team into their classroom and for sharing their fantastic work with us.
It was a brilliant opportunity to see the creativity and confidence of the students in action, and we look forward to continuing to support schools using Pytch in the classroom.
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