Many students love technology but feel intimidated by a blank editor. The Use → Modify → Create cycle is our antidote. We start with a working example that students can use immediately—perhaps a tiny arcade game or a calculator. Running, poking, and observing a real program reduces fear and builds an accurate mental model of inputs and outputs. The shift from “mystery” to “machinery” happens fast.
From there, students modify the program in safe, intentional ways: change variables, add rules, extract functions, or refactor names. These small edits create quick feedback loops. Because the baseline still works, learners can focus on one idea at a time and understand the impact of each change. They also practice reading code—an underrated superpower.
Finally, students create an original project inspired by what they explored. We coach them to plan features, write tests, and iterate thoughtfully. By the time they present their project and defend their decisions, they’ve internalized a pragmatic engineering mindset: experiment, measure, improve. Confidence compounds—and curiosity sticks around.