Omar Abdi Ali
Leader for Code Academy at Centrumskolan

You started working for IST as the leader for Code Academy in March this year. What about the project was it that caught your interest? 

I have since a long time had a general interest in IT, and I have also taken several courses related to IT. Besides that I have always prioritized work within the school area. 

One day in the beginning of the year I was looking for jobs within the school/IT category, and then I saw this ad which combined both of my two interests.

What is your background?

Before starting at IST I was working as a school counselor in Lessebo municipality.

What´s the best part about leading Code Academy?

The best thing about my job is to inspire others. When you like something you share it with others; friends, colleagues or family members. To me, this has meant sharing what I like with two classes at a school. 

What did you learn during this spring semester?

Besides studying a few programming courses I have had the role as tutor for Code Academy at Centrumskolan. This used to be a dream, which has now become reality, and during this journey I have learnt so much. Teaching classes in a school has not always been obvious to me, and I feel that I have developed and improved my leading skills. I have also received very good feedback from the pedagogues who watched my classes with the fifth graders. 

What´s your personal ”Learn more”? 

I would like to improve my pedagogic skills. To mentor and teach course material to a smaller group of students is something I have done before, often in smaller group rooms. But to lead a bigger group of students, you need pedagogic education. At the same time I would like to improve my coding skills. I can tell you that the students increase my will to learn more about IT and technology!

For 10 weeks during spring semester, the 5th graders from Centrumskolan in Växjö have been spending one day a week learning how to code in Scratch. The project aims to give students some experience and encourage their interest in coding, technology and programming long-term. Code Academy is a cooperation project between IST and Centrumskolan, lead by Omar Ali at IST.