Teacher CPD · Secondary Schools

Teaching the Junior Cycle Coding Short Course

This professional development course equips educators to deliver the Junior Cycle Coding Short Course effectively. Participants explore the curriculum's structure, including its three strands and single CBA, while developing pedagogical strategies for novice programmers aged 12–15. Key topics encompass language selection, physical computing, AI ethics, debugging techniques, and recruitment pathways to senior cycle computer science, culminating in actionable year plans.
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Enrol now — course content opens on 1 Jul 2026. We'll email you that morning with access details.
€79
Enrolment per teacher
What's included
  • Self paced
  • Online course
  • Step-by-step lessons
  • Certificate from Coding Ireland

Explore the Course

Two lessons that establish three things: an honest map of where you are starting from (the confidence audit); a working understanding of what the JC Coding Short Course requires of students (and therefore of you); and a productive mindset for delivering it without pretending to be a CS expert.

Welcome, Confidence Audit and the Lead Learner Mindset Beginner
The JC Coding Short Course — Three Strands, One CBA, 100 Hours Beginner

Engagement is the #1 challenge in JC Coding. This module addresses the two most reliable engagement levers: making a deliberate language-pathway decision, and using physical computing and cross-curricular hooks to make coding tangible and relevant beyond the classroom.

Choosing Your Language Pathway Beginner
Physical Computing and Cross-curricular Hooks Beginner

Two lessons covering the cross-strand pedagogy that makes JC Coding actually teachable: evidence-based programming pedagogy aligned to the spec's named computational-thinking framing, and the AI / ethics / society content threaded through all three strands.

Programming Pedagogy for Novices — PRIMM, Computational Thinking, and Debugging Beginner
AI in Coding, Ethics and Computers in Society Beginner

The longest module of the course. Three lessons covering the NCCA Features of Quality, the two student-choice CBA approaches (team software project vs individual portfolio collection), supervising the process, marking fairly, and preparing for the SLAR meeting where feasible.

The CBA 'Putting the Pieces Together' — Two Approaches and the Features of Quality Beginner
Coaching the CBA — Choosing the Approach and Supervising the Process Beginner
Marking the CBA and Preparing for the SLAR Beginner

JC Coding is, for many schools, the recruitment pipeline into Leaving Cert Computer Science. This module treats that pipeline deliberately and closes the course with the participant's year plan and final reflection.

From JC Coding to LC CS — the Recruitment Pipeline Beginner
Your Year Plan and Final Reflection Beginner

Two lessons that establish three things: an honest map of where you are starting from (the confidence audit); a working understanding of what the JC Coding Short Course requires of students (and therefore of you); and a productive mindset for delivering it without pretending to be a CS expert.

Welcome, Confidence Audit and the Lead Learner Mindset Beginner
The JC Coding Short Course — Three Strands, One CBA, 100 Hours Beginner

Engagement is the #1 challenge in JC Coding. This module addresses the two most reliable engagement levers: making a deliberate language-pathway decision, and using physical computing and cross-curricular hooks to make coding tangible and relevant beyond the classroom.

Choosing Your Language Pathway Beginner
Physical Computing and Cross-curricular Hooks Beginner

Two lessons covering the cross-strand pedagogy that makes JC Coding actually teachable: evidence-based programming pedagogy aligned to the spec's named computational-thinking framing, and the AI / ethics / society content threaded through all three strands.

Programming Pedagogy for Novices — PRIMM, Computational Thinking, and Debugging Beginner
AI in Coding, Ethics and Computers in Society Beginner

The longest module of the course. Three lessons covering the NCCA Features of Quality, the two student-choice CBA approaches (team software project vs individual portfolio collection), supervising the process, marking fairly, and preparing for the SLAR meeting where feasible.

The CBA 'Putting the Pieces Together' — Two Approaches and the Features of Quality Beginner
Coaching the CBA — Choosing the Approach and Supervising the Process Beginner
Marking the CBA and Preparing for the SLAR Beginner

JC Coding is, for many schools, the recruitment pipeline into Leaving Cert Computer Science. This module treats that pipeline deliberately and closes the course with the participant's year plan and final reflection.

From JC Coding to LC CS — the Recruitment Pipeline Beginner
Your Year Plan and Final Reflection Beginner

What You'll Learn

Learning Goals

  1. Develop a comprehensive understanding of the Junior Cycle Coding Short Course structure, including its strands, CBA, and scheduling within the school timetable.
  2. Adopt effective pedagogical approaches for teaching coding to novice 12–15-year-olds, incorporating PRIMM, computational thinking, and debugging strategies.
  3. Plan and integrate cross-curricular engagement, physical computing, AI ethics, and societal impacts into coding lessons.
  4. Coach students through the CBA process, from approach selection and supervision to marking and SLAR preparation, using NCCA quality features.
  5. Design a recruitment pipeline from Junior Cycle Coding to Leaving Certificate Computer Science, addressing gender and ability diversity, and create an actionable year plan.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Develop a personalised year plan for delivering the Junior Cycle Coding Short Course, incorporating the three strands, CBA requirements, and 100-hour timetable integration.
  2. Apply PRIMM pedagogy, computational thinking frameworks, and debugging strategies to design novice-level programming lessons aligned with specified learning outcomes.
  3. Plan and integrate teaching of AI in coding, ethics, and societal impacts across all strands using structured discussion protocols and cross-curricular hooks.
  4. Coach students through CBA approach selection, supervise the project process from topic choice to submission, and assess work against NCCA Features of Quality.
  5. Design a recruitment pipeline from Junior Cycle Coding to Leaving Certificate Computer Science, addressing gender gaps and diverse learner abilities through targeted strategies.

Ready to start this course?

Enrol today and learn at your own pace.

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