Reprinted from the PEG page, a programming education project promoted by CANVAS.

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Following the April teacher training session, classes using Raspberry Pi and Scratch have begun again this school year at Keiyo Elementary School.
In the 5th-grade Civic Studies unit titled “Let’s Discuss and Program in Groups” (6 hours total), students are working in groups of three on the project “Let’s Make an Airplane Fly.”
Civics is a subject unique to Shinagawa Ward that integrates moral education, special activities, and integrated studies.

The children first discuss and summarize the movements and positions of an airplane from takeoff to landing on small whiteboards, and then begin programming.The key is not just to exchange ideas, but to refine their methods of expression through trial and error.
The results are fed back onto the whiteboard, allowing the specifications to become more detailed.
This approach reduces instances where something done haphazardly turns out to be interesting by chance, or where decisions are made by majority vote without a solid basis, thereby fostering deeper discussions.

Even though there were enough Raspberry Pi devices for everyone, we deliberately limited each group to one device. This spurred lively discussions and, unexpectedly, created an effect similar to pair programming.
The fifth class, held on May 27, began with each group presenting what they had created so far and receiving questions and feedback from the other students.
The presentations went beyond simply demonstrating how the final products worked; they also included explanations of the program code itself.
The questions were specific, such as how to adjust the speed or apply visual effects.
This was clearly a code review in the context of software development. During the
remainder of the class, each group took the ideas they had received back to their group to refine their specifications and implement the changes.

In a typical class, once a project is completed, it’s usually over—it’s rare for students to be involved in evaluating their work or making improvements based on that feedback. However, in this class, the process involves multiple iterations, which is consistent with modern development methodologies.

Our activities at Kyoyo Elementary School have now entered their second year, and I felt like we’ve moved on to a new phase—one that’s different from last year.
For the children, Raspberry Pi and Scratch have already become part of their daily lives and are no longer novelties.
It feels as though they’ve become established, just like pencils and notebooks, as one of the tools they use to bring their creative ideas to life.
The next session will finally be the final presentation, and I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of projects they’ll complete.