What Happens When You Teach Coding to Students Who Have Never Seen Code
Two years ago, eighteen students sat in front of me in a classroom in Chittagong, Bangladesh. They had never written a line of code. They did not know how computers talk to each other. They had never built a website or secured a password. Today, two of them rank in the top 10 to 13% worldwide in the Western Australian Certificate of Education. This is the story of how that happened.
The Starting Point
I joined Sunshine Grammar School & College to teach Computer Science and Information Technology across two international curricula. The first was CAIE, the Cambridge Assessment International Education following the British curriculum. The second was SEBWA, the Sunshine Education Bangladesh Western Australia program following the Australian curriculum. Together, these programs give students pathways to universities across the UK, Australia, the US and beyond.
Teaching two international curricula simultaneously was demanding but rewarding. Each system has its own philosophy and assessment style. The British curriculum emphasizes theoretical depth and structured examinations. The Australian curriculum balances theory with practical application and project based assessment. Navigating both sharpened my understanding of what truly matters in technology education.
The challenge with my SEBWA cohort was clear from day one. My students were starting from zero. Not just inexperience. True zero. They had never thought about how apps work, how data is stored or how the internet actually moves information from one place to another.
I remember their faces in the first week. Confusion when I explained what a variable is. Frustration when their first programs failed. Panic when they realized this was not about memorizing textbook answers. However, I also saw something else. Curiosity. Willingness to try. Potential.
What We Had to Learn
The WACE curriculum was massive. For Computer Science, students needed to understand how to write programs, design databases, protect systems from hackers and configure networks. For Applied Information Technology, they needed to learn project planning, user friendly design, data protection and web development. That is a lot for anyone. For students starting from scratch, it felt impossible.
So we broke it down. Every complex idea became smaller pieces. Before writing code, we sketched logic on paper. Before building databases, we drew diagrams showing how information connects. Before discussing hackers, we understood how systems work in the first place.
My experience teaching both CAIE and SEBWA helped here. I could draw on different pedagogical approaches, combining the structured rigor of the British system with the practical focus of the Australian system. This cross curricular perspective gave me tools that a single curriculum teacher might not have. There were late nights. Extra classes. Moments when I wondered if I was pushing too hard. But slowly, something shifted.
The Breakthrough Moments
Teaching is not about final grades. It is about the small moments when confusion turns into understanding. One student, Shawn Trevor Ray Rodriguez, struggled at the beginning. Coding did not click for him. There were setbacks and doubt. But Shawn had something more valuable than natural talent. He had persistence. He asked questions constantly. He practiced when others rested. He refused to quit. When results came out, Shawn ranked in the top 13% worldwide. That moment reminded me why I became a teacher.
The Results
This cohort exceeded every expectation. Kabir Mohammed Nawar Ahanaf achieved the top 10% worldwide. Shawn secured top 13%. Mohammed Salman earned 81% and Farha Tarif earned 80%. The strong results continued. Abid Ahasan Chowdhury at 77%. Arnab Chakraborty at 74%. Tasmi Tarek and Afra Anjum Hoque both at 72%. Humaira K Kashan at 67%. Trevon Valentine Rodriguez at 66%. Zowyaria Kalam Talukdar at 65%. Additionally, Ahasan Ahamed achieved 64%. Ayesha Alvina and Mishaal Kaiser Rashid both secured 62%. Danial Muntasir and Mohammed Munaz earned 58%. Khondokar Jafnun Rahman at 56%. Sefatullah at 54%. Eighteen students. All starting from zero. All finishing with internationally recognized qualifications.
What I Learned About Teaching
This experience changed how I think about education. Teaching is not about delivering information. It is about designing experiences that change how students think. It is about finding where understanding breaks down and building bridges through that confusion. Working across two international curricula taught me that great teaching transcends any single system. The principles remain constant. Patience. Breaking big ideas into small steps. Creating an environment where asking questions is encouraged and failure is treated as learning, not punishment. These are not just nice ideas. They produce real results. This cohort proved it.
What This Means for Me
As I look toward the future, including my own goals in research and academia, I carry these lessons with me. The connection between education, technology and human potential fascinates me. How do people learn complex technical skills? How can we design better ways to teach them? How do different curricular frameworks shape learning outcomes? These questions drive my curiosity.
My dual curriculum experience positions me to explore comparative approaches to computer science education. This cohort showed me that impact is not abstract. Impact is eighteen students who now see the world differently because someone invested in their journey.
To Anyone Considering This Path
If you are thinking about studying technology but feel intimidated, here is what I want to tell you. You can do it. Not because it is easy. It is not. But difficulty is not impossibility. The students who succeeded were not the ones who found it effortless. They were the ones who showed up, struggled, asked for help and kept going. The only requirement for success is the willingness to start.
Final Words
To the WACE 2023 to 2025 cohort, thank you for trusting me with your journey. Watching you grow has been the greatest reward of my career. To Sunshine Grammar School & College and both the CAIE and SEBWA programs, thank you for building platforms where students from Bangladesh can access world class education. To anyone reading this as a student, educator or fellow researcher, know that the work is hard. But the work matters.