Coding Strategies - ​Worked examples

Commonly used in a range of subjects, including Maths and Science, worked examples are a form of ‘scaffolding’ designed to help reduce cognitive load placed on novice learners.

When a learner is given a partial (or near complete) solution to a problem, they do not have to rely so much on their long-term memory. Worked examples aim to reduce the superfluous cognitive load, often placed on a learner’s working memory when faced with new challenges, by providing a model solution to a problem.

How it works:

  • Prepare a partial solution to a problem for the students to complete.
  • Provide a brief description of what the code is meant to do, this can be in the form of comments or verbal explanation.
  • Use sub-goal labelling to identify each of the important steps in the code.
  • Add questions / prompts with the aid of comments or annotations.
​Worked example (Python)
​As learners become more proficient, the benefits of using worked examples are reduced to the point at which they may start to become a hindrance rather than a help! As with any types of scaffolding and support, worked examples should be faded to provide stretch and challenge.


​Faded examples

Imagine a faded example as a sort of fill-in the-blank challenge, but with code.

Start by giving students a near complete solution to a problem and challenge them to fill in the blanks. Over time, add more and more blanks until the student is essentially writing the solution for themselves. The following demonstrates a greatly simplified example of a fading using the Turtle library in Python. 
Example 1

(First phase of fading)
#Import the turtle library
import turtle
#Create a new window
window = turtle.Screen()

#Create a new turtle called timmy
timmy = turtle.Turtle()
#Create a square with each side
#equalling 100 pixels in length
for loopCounter in range( ): #What value goes here?
    timmy.forward( ) #what value goes here?
    timmy.right(90) 
Example 2

(Final phase of fading)
#Import the turtle library
#Place missing code here
#Create a new window
#Place missing code here
#Create a new turtle called timmy
#Place missing code here

#Create an equilateral triangle with each side
#equalling 100 pixels in length
for numberOfSides in range( ): #What value goes here?
​     #Place missing code here