“Different children have different interests, come from different cultures, learn in different styles.” Engage learners with diverse interests and backgrounds while creating with Scratch.
As professor Mitch Resnick has noted in his post Designing for Wide Walls, “no single project will be meaningful to all kids. So if we want to engage all kids — from many different backgrounds, with many different interests — we need to support a wide diversity of pathways and projects.” Scratch is designed to support the creation of different types of projects, so kids can make what they feel passionate about: they can create their own games, but also interactive stories, art, music, animations, simulations, and more!
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Scratch pioneered block-based programming, enabling young people to learn to code creatively and interactively. Creating Scratch projects fosters the development of computational and creative thinking skills that are critical for future success: learners identify problems, break them into smaller parts, debug them, and iterate on solutions.
Over the years, we’ve loved seeing the unique, exciting strategies educators use to explore Scratch and creative learning in their classrooms, clubs, and beyond. To learn more about our Creative Learning Philosophy, see our guide that lays out our guiding stars and includes a trove of facilitation tips and recommended reading. And we encourage you to explore the variety of Creative Learning Materials in our Learning Library (including lesson plans, coding cards, and educator guides).
When we adapt/remix or develop a creative coding activity/lesson, we look to:
- Design for tinkering and learning through play
- Design spaces for learners to bring themselves in and see themselves in the lesson (considerations we call the 4/5 P’s): Peers, Passion, Projects, Play, and Purpose
- Allow multiple pathways of engagement to foster a wide diversity of projects and support different experience levels (what we call low floors, wide walls, high ceilings or the “house model”)
- Create opportunities that naturally guide learners through the creative learning spiral (an iterative process of imagining, creating, playing, sharing, reflecting, and imagining again) by building in time and opportunties to play, share. and reflect
As facilitators, we want to support playful learning and tinkering mindset values, so that participants can:
- Engage playfully in projects that are meaningful to them and elicit joy
- Collaborate with peers to experiment, share, and celebrate ideas
- Develop a mindset that is comfortable with the discomfort of getting stuck (making room for risk and iteration)
- Develop a mindset that thinks critically about strategies for getting unstuck (saving space for the process to start again or help them imagine what’s next)
Explore the Scratch sound library, which is full of a variety of sound effects, voices, and longer sound loops. Try the music extension blocks that let you use the sounds of a variety of instruments and actual notes with customizable beat lengths to create digital instruments, songs, and more! Using sound in a game, animation, story, or interactive project can add depth and emotion. From the Scratch sound library, recording your own sound, uploading a sound, or using music blocks, experiment with options to make your sound project interactive using inputs like keyboard keys, the mouse, video motion, or even the features of your face or the Makey Makey combined with items like bananas!
Use the Face Sensing blocks in Scratch Lab to create games, interactive stories, and accessible projects. Try our lesson plan to explore and reflect on both the opportunities and the limitations of these new technologies through topics for classroom discourse.
Is Face Sensing private? When you are using the Face Sensing blocks, only your computer can sense your face. None of your data is stored or sent to Scratch or any other site.
Why doesn’t it always sense my face? The technology behind the Face Sensing blocks is not perfect. It is best at seeing faces that are brightly lit and close to the camera. It will often recognize faces even if they are partly hidden by a mask, glasses, hat, headscarf, or other covering. It does not do well at seeing faces that are far away, in the dark, or hidden.
Does it work with photos or drawings of faces? The Face Sensing blocks can detect faces in photos, and even in drawings. You can try making a smiley face drawing and holding it up to the camera to see if it works.
Is it learning? The Face Sensing blocks detect faces using a technology called “machine learning, ” but it is not learning while you use it. It has already been trained to see faces using a large number of photos of faces.
What if my camera is not working? When you load the Face Sensing blocks, you should see video from your computer camera on the Scratch stage. If it doesn’t appear, you may need to give Scratch permission to use your camera. Click “allow” when Scratch prompts for permission to use the camera, or check your web browser’s settings.