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The Complete Facilitator Guide

Running GitHub Classroom Workshops for Blind and Low-Vision Students

This is your comprehensive guide to facilitate a two-day GitHub workshop. It covers everything from initial GitHub Classroom setup through post-workshop follow-up, with special attention to accessibility and student success in an open-enrollment environment.

🎯 Quick Navigation

About This Workshop

What: A two-day hybrid workshop where blind and low-vision students learn GitHub through hands-on collaboration.

Who: You're facilitating for students with varying GitHub experience (zero to intermediate). You won't know ahead of time exactly who will join.

Where: Hybrid — video call + individual GitHub Classroom repositories.

Why It Matters: GitHub is a critical skill for modern tech careers. This workshop makes GitHub accessible through:

  • Hybrid delivery (people can join sync or async)
  • Individual private repos (safe practice space)
  • Automated feedback (Gandalf bot)
  • Progressive challenges (no overwhelming leaps)
  • Peer community (students help each other)

Main Goal: Every student merges their first pull request and experiences successful collaboration.

👥 Your Facilitation Team

This workshop is designed for 2 co-facilitators who can split roles:

  • Lead Facilitator -- Owns messaging, demos, and orchestration
  • Co-Facilitator -- Monitors chat, watches dashboard, helps individuals

If you're solo:

  • Recruit a volunteer (TA, peer mentor, or co-instructor)
  • Pre-record demos for asynchronous watching
  • Use GitHub Discussions more heavily for async Q&A

🚀 GitHub Classroom Setup (Before Day 1)

This section is for someone (probably you!) setting up GitHub Classroom for the first time. If your Classroom is already configured, skip to Pre-Workshop Checklist.

What is GitHub Classroom?

GitHub Classroom is a free service that automatically creates private repositories for students. When a student clicks an invite link, GitHub Classroom:

  1. Creates a repo from your template
  2. Assigns it to that student
  3. Sets permissions (student owns it, you can see it)
  4. Returns them to their new repo

You get a dashboard showing all students' progress without manual intervention.

Prerequisites

Before setting up Classroom, you need:

  • A GitHub Organization (free plan works) — used to hold student repos
  • At least one template repository in that organization
    • Template includes: Challenge 1 issue, PR template, README
    • See classroom/README.md for template structure
  • GitHub Classroom is linked to your organization (automatic if you're an org owner)

Step 1: Create Your First Assignment in GitHub Classroom

  1. Go to https://classroom.github.com
  2. Click "New Classroom"
  3. Select your Organization
  4. Give it a name: learning-room-day1 (or similar)
  5. Click "Create"

Step 2: Add Your Co-Facilitator

  1. In the new classroom, click "Settings"
  2. Under "Organization admins," add your co-facilitator's GitHub username
  3. Save

Step 3: Create Your First Assignment

  1. Click "New Assignment"
  2. Enter title: Day 1: GitHub Basics
  3. Select "Individual" (not group)
  4. Under "Add your starter template repository," select your template repo
  5. Under "Add auto-grading tests," skip this for Day 1 (optional for later challenges)
  6. Click "Create assignment"
  7. Copy the invite link and save it somewhere safe

This link is what you'll share with students. It never expires.

Step 4: Create Your Second Assignment (for Day 2)

Repeat Step 3 but title it Day 2: Advanced Skills

Save both invite links in a safe place (notes, email yourself, password manager).

Step 5: Test the Automation

  1. Accept your own invite link (as if you were a student)
  2. You should be asked to select your name from the roster
  3. GitHub Classroom creates a repo for you
  4. Verify:
    • Challenge 1 issue exists in your repo
    • Gandalf bot is configured (check Actions tab)
    • Student Progression bot can create new issues when you close one
  5. Test creating and merging a PR to ensure:
    • Gandalf bot comments within 30 seconds
    • Merging closes the issue
    • Next challenge issue appears

If anything is missing, see Troubleshooting GitHub Classroom Setup below.

⚠️ Known Gotchas

"The invite link isn't working"

  • Make sure your Organization is created
  • Make sure the assignment is published (green checkmark in Classroom)
  • Make sure students have GitHub accounts (free account works)

"No one in my organization can accept the invite"

  • Students don't need to be org members
  • They just need a GitHub account
  • If issue persists, check if Classroom link was copied correctly

"Gandalf bot isn't commenting on PRs"

  • Verify Gandalf bot is installed in your Organization (Settings > GitHub Apps)
  • Check if the Actions workflow is enabled in the template repo
  • Manually test a PR in your test repo

"I created a second assignment but can't see an invite link"

  • Assignments don't have individual invite links
  • Use the classroom-wide invite link and let students select which assignment
  • Or create separate Classrooms for Day 1 and Day 2

📋 Pre-Workshop Checklist (48 Hours Before)

You have two days until the workshop. Use this checklist:

72 Hours Before: Communication Sent

  • Email sent to all registered students with:
    • Exact workshop date/time with time zone
    • Video call link + audio-only dial-in option
    • "Please test your setup 1 hour before start time"
    • FAQ link (see Appendix A)
    • Your emergency contact info
    • Screen reader accessibility note: "We've tested this with NVDA, JAWS, and VoiceOver"

48 Hours Before: Infrastructure Verified

  • GitHub Classroom created with both Day 1 and Day 2 assignments
  • Invite links copied and ready to share
  • Template repo has Challenge 1 issue (will auto-create for each student)
  • Your test student repo exists (you accepted invite to test)
  • Gandalf bot installed and tested (posted to a PR, bot replied)
  • Student Progression bot works (closed an issue, new challenge appeared)
  • Both facilitators have admin access to the Classroom

24 Hours Before: Final Dry Run

  • You've sent the invite link to someone as a test
  • That person accepts and a repo is created successfully
  • Check the Classroom dashboard: the test student shows up
  • You can see their repo from the dashboard
  • Video call link and audio dial-in tested
  • Facilitator chat/question channel ready (Slack, Discord, GitHub Discussions, etc.)
  • Any visual slides or demos have been tested for screen reader compatibility

6 Hours Before: Day-Of Setup

  • GitHub Classroom dashboard open and logged in on facilitator computer
  • Student roster visible on a second monitor (or open in a tab)
  • First demo script ready (should be memorized, not read)
  • Chat moderator assigned to their role
  • Backup plan ready if:
    • Video call has tech issues (phone dial-in number active)
    • Bot stops working (you'll manually review PRs)
    • Key facilitator unavailable (co-facilitator can lead)
  • Coffee/water ready 😄

✨ Day 1: Live Operations

This section covers what you and your co-facilitator do during Day 1.

Hour 1: Welcome and GitHub Orientation (60 min)

What's Happening: Students are joining the call for the first time. They're nervous. Your job is to make them feel welcome and get them oriented to their GitHub repos.

Your Opening (First 5 Min)

Say something like:

"Welcome everyone! I'm [name], and I'm so glad you're here. This is a completely accessible workshop — we've tested everything with screen readers, and if something breaks or doesn't work for you, please tell us immediately.

Today we're learning GitHub, and in the next two days, every single one of you is going to merge your first pull request. That might not sound like a big deal, but it IS — it means you've collaborated with another person to improve code. That's a real developer skill.

We're hybrid, so you can work at your own pace. Some of you will finish fast, some will take your time, and both are completely fine.

Questions? Ask in chat anytime. That's what we're here for."

Your First Task: Get Everyone Into Their Repos

  1. Share the Day 1 invite link in chat
  2. Say: "I'm giving you a link to create your private GitHub repo. Click it and GitHub will ask you to pick your name from a list. Go ahead and do that now."
  3. Give them 5 minutes
  4. Check the GitHub Classroom dashboard for incoming acceptances
  5. Celebrate: "Great! I see people joining. When you accept, GitHub creates your repo automatically. You should see a Challenge 1 issue waiting for you. Find it in your Issues tab."
  6. In chat: "Raise your hand (type in chat) when you see Challenge 1"
  7. When 70%+ have confirmed: "Perfect! Everyone has their Challenge 1. Let's look at what you're going to do."

Demo: Show a Challenge 1

  1. Open your test student repo on screen
  2. Narrate out loud what you're seeing:

    "I'm going to click the Issues tab... I see Challenge 1 here. It has a description of what I need to do. At the bottom there's a 'If You Get Stuck' section. If anything is confusing, that's where to start."

  3. Read the challenge text aloud (slowly)
  4. Ask in chat: "Does everyone see something similar in your Challenge 1? Say yes in chat"
  5. Help anyone who doesn't see it:
    • "Go to your repo page"
    • "Click the Issues tab"
    • "You should see a list; click the one that says Challenge 1"

Success Metric: Everyone has confirmed they can see Challenge 1.

Hour 2: Demo — Your First Pull Request (30 min)

What's Happening: You're showing students the exact workflow they'll repeat for every challenge. Make it crystal clear.

Your Narrated Demo

Open a challenge in your test repo and narrate every single step:

"Okay, I'm going to do Challenge 1 right now, and you're going to watch me do it. I'm going to talk through every click so you know exactly what to do when it's your turn.

Step 1: Read the challenge I'm looking at the Challenge 1 issue. It says [read it]. Okay, so I need to [summarize task]. Got it.

Step 2: Start editing I see there's a file I need to edit. I'm going to find it in the file list and click the pencil icon to edit it. [Click pencil] Now I'm in the editor. I can see the current text. I need to [describe what to change].

Step 3: Make my change [Type the change while narrating] Okay, I've made my change. Now I need to create a pull request to propose this change.

Step 4: Create a pull request I'm scrolling down to find the 'Propose changes' button. [Click it] GitHub is now asking me if I want to create a new branch. Yes, I do. [Click 'Create a new branch'] Now I see the PR comparison page. It shows my old version and my new version.

Step 5: Fill out the PR form I'm clicking the 'Create pull request' button [click] Now I see a form with fields like title and description. There's a PR template here that helps me know what to fill in. [Fill out form while narrating each field]

Step 6: Submit the PR I'm clicking the green 'Create pull request' button [click] Done! The PR is created.

Step 7: Wait for Gandalf bot feedback Watch what happens next... Gandalf bot checks my work automatically. [Wait 30 seconds] See? The bot commented with feedback. It's checking if my change follows the rules.

Step 8: Address feedback (if any) If the bot found an issue, I would go back and fix it. But my change looks good, so I'm ready to request a review.

Step 9: Request a review I'm typing @[another student] in a comment to ask them to review my PR. [Wait for their response in real life] My peer approved it, so now I can merge.

Step 10: Merge the PR I'm clicking the 'Merge pull request' button [click] Done! The PR is merged. The issue closes automatically.

Step 11: See your next challenge Watch — because the bot closes the Challenge 1 issue when I merged, the next challenge will appear automatically... [Refresh Issues tab] There it is! Challenge 2 just appeared. That's how progression works."

Key Teaching Points

  • Don't rush — students are taking notes
  • Narrate actions before doing them: "I'm going to click the edit pencil now..." [then click]
  • Normalize mistakes: "Oops, that's not the right button. Let me click over here instead."
  • Stop and ask: "Does everyone see what I'm seeing? Type yes in chat."
  • Celebrate: "This workflow — read issue → edit → propose changes → request review → merge — you're going to do this same thing 15 times over two days. You're going to be amazingly good at it."

Success Metric: Students say things like "I see how this works" or "That was clear" in chat.

Hours 3-6: Supervised Working Session (Approximately 4.5 Hours)

What's Happening: Students are working on their challenges while you monitor and help.

Your Role During This Time

Primary: Monitor the GitHub Classroom dashboard

  • Refresh it every 5-10 minutes
  • Look for:
    • New commits (student is active)
    • PRs being created (they're progressing)
    • Autograding failures (might need help)
    • Students with zero activity (might need a nudge)

Secondary: Be responsive in chat and comments

When you notice something:

  1. Student hasn't started after 20 min → Chat message:

    "Hey @student! How's it going? Found your Challenge 1? If you need a hint, just ask in chat."

  2. Student created a PR → Check it

    • Did Gandalf bot comment?
    • Does the student understand the feedback?
    • Comment if needed: "Looking good! I see the bot asked you to [X]. Give that a try!"

  3. Student merged a PR → Celebrate publicly:

    "🎉 Awesome work @student! You just merged your first pull request! That's huge."

  4. Gandalf bot gave confusing feedback → Translate it:

    "I see Gandalf's feedback. Let me explain what it means: [plain language explanation]. Try [specific fix]."

  5. Student is stuck and says so → Help them

    • Look at their repo
    • Read the "If You Get Stuck" section of their challenge
    • Comment: "I see where you're stuck. Try [specific step]. Let me know how it goes!"

Expected Rhythm

Time What to Expect
Min 1-15 Students opening PRs on their first challenge
Min 15-30 Gandalf bot feedback flowing; students starting fixes
Min 30-60 First reviews happening; students requesting merges
Min 60-120 Early merges happening; progression bot creating Challenge 2
Min 120-180 Second wave of PRs; momentum building; some finishing Challenge 2
Min 180-270 Mixed activity: some on Challenge 3+, others still on Challenge 1, all valid

Facilitator Interventions

If a student says "I don't understand this challenge":

  1. Read the challenge text back to them
  2. Break it into smaller steps
  3. Give one next step: "Try [this specific thing] first"
  4. Offer to look at their repo: "Send me the link and I'll take a look"

If a student says "I'm done, what do I do next?":

  • Option A: "Start Challenge 2 (it will appear automatically when the bot processes)"
  • Option B: "Can you review someone else's PR? That helps them and teaches you code review"
  • Option C: "Help a peer who's still working. Teaching others is real learning"

If Gandalf bot stops responding:

  1. Check GitHub Actions status page
  2. If it's down, post in chat: "We're experiencing a brief delay with our feedback bot. We're looking into it."
  3. Manually review PRs and post feedback in Gandalf's format (see Troubleshooting)

If two students want to peer review:

  • Perfect! Encourage it. That's the whole point.
  • Remind them: "Click the 'Files changed' tab to see the code. Leave thoughtful comments."

Managing Energy

  • Every 60 minutes: "Quick break everyone. Stand up, stretch, grab water."
  • Answer the same question multiple times without sighing
  • Celebrate effort, not just finished work: "Nice debugging work!" (even if they haven't finished)
  • If energy is low: "We're doing amazing. Look at how many PRs have been merged!"

Hour 7: Q&A and Reflection (30 min)

What's Happening: You're wrapping up Day 1, celebrating progress, and setting up for Day 2.

Reflection Prompt

Ask in chat or video:

"Tell us in chat: What was one thing you learned today about GitHub? Or what surprised you?"

Listen and affirm:

  • "GitHub is [student answer]" ✓
  • "Peer review helps [student answer]" ✓
  • "I struggled with [thing] but I figured it out" ✓ CELEBRATE THIS

Share Day 1 Stats

Pull from the Classroom dashboard:

"Today, X students joined, Y PRs were merged, Z students completed multiple challenges. That's real progress. You all should be proud."

Troubleshoot Remaining Issues

  • Students still stuck: "We can help you after this call. Don't leave without asking."
  • Questions about tomorrow: "Tomorrow we'll do deeper work. Same process, harder challenges."
  • Access issues: "If you have anything that didn't work for your screen reader, email us. We fix it before tomorrow."

Send Them Off

"Great work today! Rest well. Tomorrow we go deeper. See you at [time]!"

Hour 8: Optional Office Hours (60 min)

  • Stay available in chat or on call
  • Help any student who wants to:
    • Finish their first PR
    • Start Challenge 2
    • Ask follow-up questions
    • Troubleshoot issues

🎉 Day 2: Deeper Skills and Celebration

Hour 1: Recap and Momentum (30 min)

What's Happening: Students join fresh. You remind them of their progress and introduce Day 2 assignment.

Your Opening

"Welcome back! Let me tell you what you did yesterday...

X students completed Challenge 1 and merged their first PR. That's huge. Y students are already on Challenge 2 or beyond. Z students are working async and will finish today.

That means you all know:

  • How to navigate GitHub
  • How to edit and create a PR
  • How to request a review
  • How to merge a PR

You did that in one day. That's amazing.

Today we go deeper. New challenges, more complex scenarios, and you're all ready for it."

Day 2 Assignment

  1. Share the Day 2 invite link in chat
  2. Say: "Click this link and accept Day 2 assignment. It's separate from Day 1."
  3. Give them 5 minutes
  4. Check the Classroom dashboard
  5. When most have accepted: "Perfect! Challenge 10 is waiting for you. This one is a step up in difficulty. You've got this."

Hour 2: Code Review Deep Dive (60 min)

What's Happening: You're teaching the skill of reviewing someone else's code professionally.

Demo: How to Review a PR

  1. Open a student's PR from yesterday (ask permission or use your test repo)
  2. Narrate while reviewing:

    "Okay, someone asked me to review their PR. Here's what I do:

Step 1: Read the description — What are they changing and why? [read it]

Step 2: Click 'Files changed' — Now I see the code diff. Red means removed, green means added. [click and show]

Step 3: Read the code carefully — Does it make sense? Is it following the guidelines? [read and comment]

Step 4: Leave feedback — I click the comment button next to lines I have thoughts about. [click]

Step 5: Be specific and kind — Instead of 'this is wrong,' I say 'I notice this could be [better]. Consider [suggestion].'

Step 6: Approve or request changes — At the top, I click 'Approve' if I'm happy with it, or 'Request changes' if I want fixes."

Pair Review Activity

  1. Assign pairs: "Student A, you review Student B's PR. Student B, you'll review Student C's. Etc."

  2. Give them a template for feedback:

    - What I liked about this PR: [specific thing]
- One question I have: [genuine question]
- One suggestion: [improvement idea]

  3. Give them 20 minutes to do reviews

  4. Check back and celebrate: "I see great comments happening!"

Hours 3-7: Progressive Challenges (Approximately 4.5 Hours)

What's Happening: Students are working through Challenges 10-16, which are harder and more realistic.

Challenge Progression Map

Track Challenges Topics Expected Time
Core 10-13 VS Code, Git locally, branching, conflict resolution 4-6 hrs
Advanced 14-16 Issue templates, fork-and-contribute workflow, capstone 6-8 hrs
Bonus bonus-a through bonus-e CLI, search, branch protection, cloud editors 2-4 hrs each

Students don't see challenges that aren't unlocked yet. The progression bot unlocks them when challenges are closed.

Your Facilitation During Hour 3-7

Dashboard monitoring: Every 10 minutes, check:

  • Who's on which challenge
  • Any students still on Challenge 10 (might need help)
  • Any autograding failures
  • Recent merges (celebrate them)

Proactive help:

  • Students on Challenge 14+ → Extra encouragement: "You're getting into real developer territory!"
  • Students still on Challenge 10-12 → Gentle check-in: "How's it going? Stuck on anything?"
  • Peer reviews → Encourage more: "I see reviewers doing great work!"

Responsive help:

  • Student asks "What's Git?" → Explain clearly, add to a running glossary
  • Student's PR has autograder failure → Check what test failed, help them debug
  • Student at same place as another → Suggest they collaborate: "You two are both on Challenge 11 — want to pair?"

Managing Different Paces

Faster students (on Challenge 14+):

  • Give them bonus challenges to explore
  • Invite them to help peers
  • Recognize their ambition: "You're flying through these!"

Average pace students (on Challenge 11-13):

  • Keep them engaged with encouragement
  • Help when they hit roadblocks
  • Celebrate steady progress

Slower pace students (still on Challenge 10-12):

  • NO pressure — this is fine
  • Check if they need help or prefer async
  • Offer 1:1 support after main session
  • Include them in celebrations: "X students working on foundational skills"

Key Facilitator Moves

  1. Answer the same question multiple ways — someone will finally get it
  2. Celebrate effort — "I see you troubleshooting that error. That's exactly what real developers do."
  3. Normalize struggle — "Everyone gets stuck. That's where learning happens."
  4. Bridge knowledge gaps — If someone doesn't know Git, teach it briefly, add to resources
  5. Keep energy positive — Day 2 is harder; your enthusiasm carries them

Hour 7: Final Q&A and Celebration (60 min)

What's Happening: You're wrapping up the two-day journey, celebrating progress, and sending students off with confidence.

Pull the Dashboard Data

From GitHub Classroom, collect:

  • Total students enrolled
  • Total students who merged at least one PR
  • Total PRs merged (all challenges combined)
  • Fastest student (by PRs merged)
  • Students who completed code review cycle
  • Students who made it to advanced challenges
  • Students still actively working (will continue async)

Say something like:

"Over two days, we had X students join. Here's what we accomplished:

  • Y students merged their first PR
  • Z total PRs were merged — that's real code changes
  • N students made it to advanced challenges
  • Everyone who's here learned something new about GitHub

That's incredible. You should all be proud."

Celebrate Specific Wins

Call out individuals by name (with permission):

"@student1 — you merged 5 PRs! That's impressive velocity." "@student2 — you helped three peers debug their code. That's mentorship." "@student3 — you hit Challenge 15 on day 2. You went deep."

Next Steps Guidance

Give students concrete next steps:

"Here's what we suggest next:

  1. Contribute to open source — Find a repo you love and look for 'good first issue'
  2. Use what you learned — GitHub is real infrastructure; keep using it
  3. Join our alumni community — Community-Access/support — ask questions, share wins
  4. Build something — Use GitHub as your project portfolio"

Share Resources

Point to:

Thank You Note

"Thank you for being here, for asking great questions, for helping each other, and for giving GitHub a real try. The fact that you're learning this skill — that you know GitHub — that matters. Use it well.

We're so glad you were here."

Hour 8: Informal Hangout / Office Hours (60 min)

  • Keep call open for students who want to:
    • Continue working (keep dashboard accessible)
    • Chat with peers
    • Ask final questions
    • Exchange GitHub usernames / social
  • Optional: Have facilitators available in chat for async follow-ups

📊 Post-Workshop Tasks (Week After)

Day 3 (Next Day)

  • Export GitHub Classroom dashboard data
    • Total students, PRs merged, challenges completed
    • Save as CSV or screenshot
  • Identify students who are stuck/need follow-up
    • Email them: "You're doing great! Need any help finishing?"
  • Document any automation failures
    • If Gandalf bot or progression bot had issues, log them for your next setup
  • Thank your co-facilitator
    • Debrief on what went well and what to improve

Days 4-7

  • Send personalized email to each student
    • Reference something specific they accomplished
    • Point them to next resource (alumni channel, open source guide)
    • Leave door open for questions
  • Update your facilitator notes
    • What questions came up most?
    • What accessibility issues appeared?
    • What challenges took longer than expected?
  • Invite students to alumni community

Weeks 2+

  • Monitor alumni community
    • Watch new issues/discussions in Support Hub and respond within 24 to 48 hours
    • Answer questions
    • Celebrate project shares
    • Offer 1:1 mentorship if interested
  • Prepare for next cohort
    • Update facilitator guide based on learnings
    • Update challenge content based on student feedback
    • Test GitHub Classroom automation again

🆘 Quick Troubleshooting Reference

During Workshop

"I can't see my GitHub repo" → Have them go to github.com/settings/repositories and look for repo with their name → Or share the direct link: community-access-classroom/learning-room-[username]

"The bot didn't comment on my PR" → Refresh the page → Wait 30 seconds (bot takes a bit) → If still nothing, manually review and comment with feedback

"I merged but Challenge 2 didn't appear" → Refresh their issues page → If still nothing, manually create Challenge 2 issue (copy Challenge 1, change number)

"Two students merged the same PR by accident" → No problem! It happens in real GitHub too. → Revert the merge: "Revert this PR" button → Have them try again

"My internet cut out / I lost the call" → GitHub Classroom doesn't require the call — work continues → Post updates in Support Hub Discussions or email → Students can continue async

For more, see FACILITATOR_CLASSROOM_TROUBLESHOOTING.md

📚 Appendices

Appendix A: Facilitator Communication Templates

Pre-Workshop Email

Subject: Your GitHub Workshop Starts Tomorrow!

Hi [Name],

We're excited to have you join us tomorrow at [TIME] for our two-day GitHub workshop!

Quick checklist:

  • GitHub account created? (Go to github.com)
  • Can you join the video call? (Link: [URL]) or dial audio-only: [NUMBER]
  • Do you have a screen reader installed? (NVDA, JAWS, or VoiceOver work great with GitHub)

Tomorrow's plan:

  • Hour 1: Welcome and GitHub orientation
  • Hour 2: Demo of your first PR
  • Hours 3-6: You work on challenges, we help
  • Hour 7: Q&A and celebration

If you have questions before we start: Email us or chat us — we're here to help!

See you tomorrow!

"Student is Stuck" Response

Hi @[Name],

I see you working on Challenge [X]. Let me help.

The challenge is asking you to [rephrase in plain language].

Here's the next step: [ONE specific thing to do]

Try that and let me know how it goes!

Post-Workshop Thank You

Hi [Name],

Thank you so much for joining our GitHub workshop! I wanted to reach out and tell you what an awesome job you did.

You merged [X] pull requests and worked through [Y] challenges. That shows real growth.

I especially appreciated when you [specific moment they did well].

Keep learning:

Great work, and keep building!

Appendix B: Screen Reader Quick Reference

For NVDA Users:

  • Insert + Down Arrow — Read all
  • H — Jump to next heading
  • Tab — Jump to next button/link
  • F — Jump to next form field
  • A — Jump to next button or clickable element

For JAWS Users:

  • Insert + Down Arrow — Read all
  • H — Jump to next heading
  • Tab — Jump to next button/link
  • R — Jump to next form field
  • B — Jump to next button

For VoiceOver (Mac) Users:

  • VO + Down Arrow — Read continuously
  • H — Jump to next heading
  • Tab — Jump to next button/link
  • F — Jump to next form field

GitHub.com Keyboard Shortcuts (Most Important):

  • T — Open file finder
  • I — Jump to Issues
  • P — Jump to Pull requests
  • G then C — Go to Code
  • ? — Show all keyboard shortcuts

Appendix C: Common Challenge "If You Get Stuck" Phrases

These are used in each challenge issue. Paste them into challenge issues to guide stuck students:

For editing challenges:

If you get stuck: Look for the pencil icon (✏️) to edit the file. Type your change, then scroll down and click "Propose changes."

For PR challenges:

If you get stuck: Don't refresh the page yet! GitHub is still processing. Wait 30 seconds. If still nothing, paste this link in chat: [direct link to PR]

For review challenges:

If you get stuck: Click the "Files changed" tab on the PR. Click the comment bubble next to lines you want to comment on. Type your feedback and click "Comment."

For merge conflicts:

If you get stuck: This is the hardest challenge because merge conflicts are tricky in real life too. Post your question in chat — this is not something to figure out alone.

💡 Philosophy and Final Thoughts

This workshop succeeds because of you — the facilitator. Here's what you bring:

  • Patience — Answer the same question 10 times without frustration
  • Clarity — Explain complex things in simple language
  • Celebration — Make everyone feel like their progress matters (it does)
  • Accessibility — Test everything with screen readers, adapt for each student
  • Humanity — You're not perfect, and that's okay. Normalize mistakes.
  • Community — Build an environment where students help each other

You're not just teaching GitHub. You're teaching inclusion — showing students that tech spaces can and should be accessible to everyone, including blind and low-vision people.

Every student who merges their first PR is a student who now knows they belong in tech.

That's the real goal. Everything else follows from that.

📞 Need Help?

If something goes wrong:

  1. Automation failing? → See FACILITATOR_CLASSROOM_TROUBLESHOOTING.md
  2. Student having issues? → See FACILITATOR_OPERATIONS.md
  3. Setting up for first time? → Scroll back to GitHub Classroom Setup
  4. Can't find what you need? → Email or ping us — we'll help and update this guide

Last Updated: May 2026 | Version: 2.0 | Maintainer: Jeff Bishop

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