Science and Coding Camp Debugging Skills and Help Routines
Teach debugging as a calm sequence: describe the problem, check one thing, test and note what changed. Make asking for help normal. Use a help queue or partner roles so learners can progress without feeling judged for errors.
Debugging means finding and fixing a problem. It should feel like investigation, not proof that a learner is bad at coding.
Use a simple routine: say what you expected, say what happened, find the smallest part that may explain the difference, change one thing, and test again.
Example one: a character moves in the wrong direction. Ask which action starts the movement and what value controls direction. Do not rewrite the whole project first.
Example two: a score keeps increasing without a new action. Ask whether the scoring step is inside a loop or triggered repeatedly. Let the learner point to the place where the change happens.
Example three: a project works on the teacher's device but not a learner's. Check the setup, file version, permissions, and required extension before telling the child their logic is wrong.
Use a help queue. Ask learners to write or show the problem and what they tried. Staff should not favour the loudest requests. Keep an alternative task ready while someone waits.
Your task: Give every learner a short debugging card and train staff to ask before taking over the keyboard.
