Instructional Designer

Transformative Training, Engaging Presentations, Broadcasting – Music, Coding & Beyond

With over 20 years of experience, I design interactive training experiences to empower learners across coding, music education, and language instruction. From English as a Foreign Language in Spain to developing innovative coding curricula in the UK and broadcasting for Google News Initiative in different countries in the world, I bring a global perspective and learner-focused approach to my work.

Ask anyone and they’ll tell you Benedict Hickson moonlights as the BFG: he’s a technicolour soul that brings positive vibes into a place with layers of experience, expertise and a lot of mileage in making every moment count. Coaching and presenting comes naturally to Benedict, his natural, austere gravitas, empathy and passion serve well to hallmark him as an asset to any team. I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside him twice on the same project–once when I was a baby coach (original flavour), and again as a more seasoned coach (new and improved!)–he’s largely responsible for my learning in the new world I stepped into. I’ve learned a great deal from Benedict’s wealth of knowledge and strive to make him proud by passing my learning on. I consider him an old friend, a great colleague and a wonderful teacher.

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Presenting & Broadcasting

  • Being Google Digital Coach, specialising in coding, at Sheffield, and giving some of the Intro to Coding courses in Sheffield, Birmingham and Manchester. Later being Google Digital Garage Coach in Portsmouth, and starting in Belfast, Ireland, till the COVID 19 lockdown when it had to close.
  • Being (still working there currently) Google Digital Coach online for UpSkill Digital on behalf of Google, giving talks, being moderator and being Broadcast Manager (and moderator) for my colleagues when they’re giving talks to those in partnership with Google Digital Garage, and Broadcast Manager for journalists around the world for Google News Initiative
  • Creator of the content and giving training to the Norwegian gourmet restaurant, Fjellskål, on how to create videos to put on YouTube and linked to their website for their clients who will receive the ingredients half prepared delivered to them that they will need to cook to produce the finished dish.

Coding Expertise

  • Lecturing Game Design at Sheffield College
  • Lecturing Java and Python coding (and creating the content for the lectures) for Game Design Students at Rotherham College
  • Being Consultant in setting up the content of C# Coding for Game Design Course for Sheffield College
  • Collaborated with Google to help refine their Intro to Coding for Google Digital Garage
  • Being part of the interview board for extra Google Digital Garage Coaches specialising in Coding in Sheffield and Manchester

Education & Curriculum

  • With PGCE in Music, being Head of Music (and tweaking and updating all the content) at the Lilian Baylis Technology School, South East London for 3 years and one term at Sheffield Springs, Sheffield.
  • Working for LanguageLab on an island on Second Life, as Producer of the Actors, playing the role of Griffin Morrisey as English Teacher – a rich musician who lived in a mansion that they would visit on the island. I’d analyse a song with the students, and teach them to sing the song (accompanying ourselves on my keyboard).

Language & Performance

Services

  • Curriculum Development
  • Coding Workshops
  • One-on-One Coaching

Book for a chat with me for half an hour no strings attached to meet me and book sessions with me (first session free).

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