Teach a Friend

When you teach, you cannot hide behind clever words. You have to say what happens first, what happens next, and what comes out at the end. That is the same input, work, output pattern from the first topic.

Pick something small: making toast, tying shoes, or moving the robot one square. Say each step as if your friend has never done it before. If you skip a step, they will get stuck exactly where you skipped.

Teaching is not showing off. It is checking that your plan is complete. When your friend asks a question, that question is a gift: it shows which step was unclear.

The robot grid lab is perfect for teaching. Your friend watches the robot, not you. You read the plan. They say what they think will happen before you press the next step.

If the robot bumps, pause. Ask which step sent it the wrong way. Fixing the plan together is more powerful than you explaining the answer.

The card sort lab works the same way. Ask: should we swap these two neighbours? Let them decide. If they are wrong, run the step and let the cards prove it.

You have now covered what a computer does, exact instructions, repeats, choices and ordering. That is the whole Computers Without Code path.

Find a classmate, sibling or parent. Teach one topic in five minutes. Use paper, the robot lab, or clapping patterns from the next path if you want a second example.

When you can teach it simply, you own the idea. That is the capstone skill every programmer needs, even before they type code.