By Margaret Maccoll
As schools return this week teachers could take heed of the wisdom of two teen teachers Bryn Mailer and George Gleeson, both 15, who engaged a room full of 9-13year olds for five hours at a time during a two-day micro-machines workshop held at the Peregian Digital Hub.
“It’s about finding something they’re interested in,” Bryn said. “You can’t get kids and sit them down and make them interested.”
The teens who became friends through the robotics club at Good Shepherd Lutheran College used the knowledge gained there to design workshops for their class of 17 youngsters.
Parent Roman Olivera took his son Matias, 9, to the workshop and said the young teachers impressed everyone.
“Most adults would have had trouble dealing with so many kids. These two boys did an amazing job,” he said.
“The kids were impressed and excited coming out of it. They wanted to know more.”
George said they put together projects they had copied or designed themselves and created a powerpoint they showed on the screen that the students could use as reference if they got stuck.
With the help of an Arduino starter kit they taught the group the basics of electronics and coding and selected projects for them that they “thought were pretty cool and would inspire them”.
The pair took the class through a range of different projects, each one new and exciting and it kept the momentum of the group going.
“You couldn’t stop or you’d get behind,” George said. “It was really fun.”
Digital Hub director Chris Boden said the young instructors were being mentored under the Digital Hub’s talent development program and they were incredibly impressed by their drive and professionalism. “They’ve put in many hours of preparation during their school holidays and are fantastic role models for both the younger kids and their peers,” he said.
For more information, visit www.peregianhub.com.au
