21st Century Schools
‘Imaginations went wild’: engaging hard-to-reach children with the micro:bit
![A teacher in front of a class holding up a micro:bit](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ajwvhvgo/production/ecfa37ee2da118e322746489bbf332073e055ca7-939x625.png?w=653&q=80&fit=max&auto=format)
British Council
With the help of the British Council, teachers in the Western Balkans region are discovering a new way to reach disengaged students. A project aiming to equip 1 million young people with the skills they need to compete in the global labour market has shown that hard-to-reach children are often inspired by the micro:bit.
The 21st Century Schools programme is designed to build long-term stability in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia by boosting young people’s employment prospects. Teaching practice is being transformed in order to give students problem-solving, critical-thinking and digital-literacy skills.
![](data:image/svg+xml;base64,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)
I’m always finding a way to get my students involved with the micro:bit!
![](data:image/svg+xml;base64,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)
![A child sitting at a desk with a micro:bit in hand](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ajwvhvgo/production/f629ccd635a2bc0f1a8544871c7522fa62830378-939x625.png?w=653&q=80&fit=max&auto=format)
British Council
For the first phase of the project, launched in 2017, 610 educators from 60 schools attended a five-day course that introduced them to the micro:bit and taught them computational thinking concepts. Each school received 30 micro:bits. The hope was that the teachers would allow more space for critical thinking, creativity and cooperation in their classrooms.
A report evaluating the project suggests that disengaged students are responding to this fresh approach. A teacher in Serbia said: “There is one student with ADHD in one of my classes. I had tried almost everything, but I couldn’t calm him down. Then I showed the micro:bit to him and showed him how to code ‘rock, paper, scissors’. He was so thrilled and now I’m always finding a way to get him involved with the micro:bit.”
All the teachers surveyed for the report said they thought the micro:bit was a useful teaching tool, while 93% said they believed the micro:bit would inspire students in the classroom. 90% thought the micro:bit would inspire students about computing and coding outside the classroom.
![Three students playing together with micro:bits](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/ajwvhvgo/production/c64806bb15acf3895dab51fbf55da0ad4ed28baa-939x625.png?w=653&q=80&fit=max&auto=format)
British Council
Another teacher in Serbia said: “As soon as they took the micro:bit in their hand, their imaginations went wild. They started asking questions like ‘what if we try this?’, ‘what if we connect the micro:bit with this?’, ‘what would happen if we did this?’. That is the key – learning to solve non-routine problems. Children are becoming creative.”
The full 21st Century Schools programme launched in early 2019, with the goal of reaching up to 1 million children in 4,500 schools over the next three years. To extend access to teachers, a micro:bit online training course was developed and translated to all local languages as an innovative approach to support the use of micro:bit in teaching classes. By spring 2020, up to 10,700 teachers across the region had completed training, 71% of whom were female.
The British Council is also seeking to ensure that lack of equipment is not a barrier: by the end of the project, each participating school will have at least one classroom equipped to support lessons in coding.
britishcouncil.me/en/programmes/education/21st-century-schools