How We Started Teaching Differently

Back in early 2020, we noticed something troubling. Students were memorizing syntax but couldn't build actual games. They knew loops and functions but struggled when faced with character movement or collision detection.

So we changed our approach completely. Instead of starting with abstract concepts, we begin with a simple game mechanic. Students see their first character move across the screen within the first hour. Then we explain the C# code that made it happen.

This reverse engineering method works because students understand why they're learning each concept. The motivation comes naturally when you can see your code creating something playable.