Two ideas
Sparking curiosity. Each lesson starts from a topic that interests the pupils: how a computer decides, how it reads a letter, what matter is made of, what you see under a microscope.
“I can do it.” Each lesson moves forward in small steps, from the simplest to the most demanding, so that every pupil really understands what they are doing. The aim is that they leave thinking “I can do it after all”.
What a lesson is like
A lesson lasts about an hour. It starts with a concept explained simply, with the slides. Then the pupils put it to the test on levelled sheets and, in many lessons, in a hands-on activity: they build, program, observe. Pupils who finish quickly can check a classmate's work or explain how they did it.
Each lesson has a teacher's guide with the step-by-step plan, the timing of each part, the materials and what to print, the questions to ask, the most common difficulties and the solutions.
When a pupil gets it wrong
First say what is right in the work and the reasoning, and only then what is missing. In the first exercises, explain carefully; as the difficulty rises, just say there is a mistake and let the pupil look for it. It is fine not to know the answer to a question: say you will look into it and answer in the next lesson, or ask the pupil to find out.
Who can use it
The complete lessons are for teachers and other school staff, with a free account. The team looks at each request. One lesson is open to everyone, as an example.
The lessons were written for Portuguese schools and give the Portuguese school years. Some lessons are only in Portuguese, for now.
Where it comes from
Faíscas is a TreeTree2 programme, created with Instituto Superior Técnico and schools in Lisbon. More information at faiscas.pt.