Skip to content

Foundation reports

Fair Chance Learning

Canada

Fair Chance Learning work with partners throughout Canada in order to deliver high quality professional development for teachers and hands-on workshops for students.

Fair Chance Learning

Lessons and pedagogy

The Digital Literacy program, developed in collaboration with partners Let's Talk Science, offers Canadian educators a free professional learning program. It offers K-12 educators a transformative approach to professional learning that builds on best practices.

Fair Chance Learning describe the content of the micro:bit workshops and what teachers can expect: "The workshop prepares you with everything you need to know about the micro:bit, how to program them and how to incorporate them in your curriculum. By the end of this workshop you will know how to write programs for the micro:bit using the block editor (Makecode)".

Each professional development module includes a one half-day face-to-face session as well as follow-up virtual interaction opportunities for teachers. Topics covered across the modules include computational thinking, big data, design thinking, programmable devices, and the Internet of things: every module will include insight on emerging and evolving career opportunities relevant to the topic.

This professional learning will also supports those educators running the Living Space action project in their classrooms with a custom module outlining the project.

Programmes and impact

Fair Chance Learning support mulltiple programmes for professional development:

  • In partnership with Let’s Talk Science and the Canadian Space Agency, the Living Space Action Project follows the mission of David St-Jacques to the International Space Station, incorporating the micro:bit into lessons. Students investigate environmental conditions, such as temperature, light, humidity and air quality in their classroom.
  • Fair Chance Learning have partnered with Microsoft and WE Schools to deliver the TransformEd Program to support educators prepare students for the class of 2030 through research, analysis and training.
  • The Code2Learn programme is a partner program for FCL who support it through developing the PD curriculum and provision of micro:bits. The program is delivered by Taking IT Global and was awarded federal CanCode funding in 2017.
  • In November 2019, FCL launched the Innovative Teaching for Social Impact initiative. This programme teaches coding and computer science through a social innovation and impact lens. The experience is designed to support educators to develop and facilitate social innovation projects with students and is funded from the federal government's CanCode fund.

Impact and results

  • Living Space Program: 11,140 micro:bits distributed, 1,264 educators trained, 57,000 students impacted
  • TransformEd Program: 3,480 micro:bits distributed; 670 educators trained; 20,100 students impacted
  • Code2Learn Program: 3,620 micro:bits distributed; 1,086 educators reached/taught; 32,580 students impacted