Whether or not schools should teach coding in the
classrooms is a highly debated topic in education currently. Coding is
basically telling a computer what you want it to do, which involves using
step-by-step commands for the computer to follow. There are many different “coding
languages”, each one designed to do different things. Coding is important
because it powers our digital world. Websites, smartphones, computer programs,
calculators, and even some household appliances rely on code to operate. This
being said, coders are essentially the architects of the digital age. Some even
consider coding to be the “new literacy”. The ability to write and understand
computer code is becoming increasingly necessary in today’s modern society
where more and more of our lives are enabled by actions of devices and
information systems.
Teaching coding in schools has been controversial. There are
many stigmas associated with coding including that it is for men only, not
women. Some assume it to be as difficult as learning a foreign language when
really all it requires is determination and focus. Coding is important for many
reasons. One huge reason is that it opens up doors for many jobs. Over the next
ten years, it is estimated that there will be 1.4 million jobs in computer
sciences and only 400,000 graduates qualified to fill these jobs. In addition,
jobs in the areas of medicine, journalism, banking, etc will require some
knowledge of programming and coding in the future. Coding also helps develop
important logic and problem solving skills while also allowing for creativity.
Despite all of the research that shows coding is beneficial for students, only
1 in 10 schools are teaching coding.
I included this link because it discusses what coding is as
well as why it should be taught in the classroom. It explains the use for
coding to be successful in the job market in the future.
I included this link because it provides in detail the pros
and cons to teaching students computer science and programming. The author is
in support of teaching programming in schools and explains in detail why
students need to learn how to read and write code to be successful in the long
run.
This link is full of tutorials, materials, and directions
on learning code as well as learning how to teach it.
Coding, wow so many possibilities and the skill of coding seems extremely useful in today's society. I have to say that I am in favor of introducing all students to coding for reasons that will become obvious throughout the course of our discussion. However, excellent coding skills can get you a job, but does that make coding important for all students to learn? The stigmas dictating who can code and when people can learn to code are awful. Teachers should not discourage any students from acquiring useful skills like coding, knitting, cooking, or investing regardless of their gender, ethnicity, or attitude towards those skills. At what age should we teach kids to code though? Janice Mak a third grade teacher in Arizona suggests starting early. She taught her students to use Scratch a programming site that helps kids learn how to code. She says, "I have seen every one of my students regardless of gender or ethnic background, benefit from thinking and collaboration that is inherent in what we do in the classroom."(Mak, 2014) Coding may be just what mathematics teachers and other teachers need to help students learn to attend to precision, persevere in problem solving, and develop their critical thinking skills at younger ages. Based on the information I have seen I think that coding should be a part of learning in elementary education.
ReplyDeleteGiven that coding can open up many job possibilities in the future, I think it is reason enough to introduce all students to it. When students are in K-12, we really have no idea what jobs they will go onto recieve. Therefore; we can not pick and choose who would benefit from learning how to code and who might not need it in their future career choice.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with you about the stigmas associated with various skills and career choices. I actually took a computer science class in high school. Honestly, I took it only because my friend was, not because I was interested, but the class was made up of primarly males. The teacher was a man. It was apparent to me that this subject is more common for men to study rather than females. How could we make young girls more interested in this subject?
As for when we should teach students to code, I think it needs to be at a young age. One of my articles stated how coding is becoming the new literacy. We teach kids to read at a young age, right? If that's the case, I think coding should be treated the same. I think the longer we wait to introduce coding to students, the harder and less likely it will be for them to pick it up. Personally, I wish I wouldn't have waited until high school to take a class.
As far as I know, coding is not a part of most curriculum. Teachers are already pressured enough as it is to cram everything into the school year. Do you think this is a reason why coding gets pushed aside, due to lack of time? If this is the case, how could we make time to teach coding without taking away from the rest of the curriculum?
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ReplyDeleteEspecially with so many things becoming computer operated; it may soon be extremely advantageous to be able to program because for many jobs you will either be programming computers, robots, etc. or have your job taken by computers that can do the same tasks humans previously did. Today, I was hearing that some McDonalds no longer have people, but a kiosk that takes your order. I definitely agree that we cannot pick and choose who benefits from coding, but I do think some students will refuse to code. How would you handle a student in a middle school classroom that refuses to code? I understand this would probably be rare, but some students may not want to do it.
ReplyDeleteAt the heart of increasing the number of girls that are interested in coding may be programs like https://girlswhocode.com/ and https://www.girldevelopit.com/. I think the key may be more along the lines of teachers encouraging girls and guys equally to pursue computer science as a career when they see that they enjoy it. In order for this to happen, teachers must provide opportunities to code in class and for students to create their own projects. I think that making our math classrooms more natural encouraging to women and having girls better understand that cultural expectations should not dictate what field they choose. I think this issue has so much depth to it, and I am having trouble explaining it well.
Yes, I definitely agree that we need to introduce students to coding at a younger age with sound instruction. This is the same difficulty the Common Core Curriculum faces. Educational reform takes 8--12 years to fully take hold because students that most benefit from it have been learning the ideas all the way up. If I have my students code in high school when they have been taught poorly or never seen it in lower grades, then they will be way behind when they desire to make meaningful projects in high school. I think we can make lessons that allow students to code to learn the mathematical concept. I do not think that coding will be able to be a focal point of lots of class periods, but maybe once a chapter a teacher could incorporate a coding day or two to help students learn a new concept or display their knowledge of a previously taught one. Coding can be an excellent way for students to consolidate their learning. I think schools may need to start having coding classes though because it is that important!
You bring up a lot of great points. I agree that it is common that humans are being replaced by robots in various jobs. Even Einsteins on campus has a kiosk to take orders rather than ordering at the counter.
ReplyDeleteOf course I think there will be students who won't like it, but there are always going to be students that don't particular love something you are trying to teach. It is our job as teachers to do the best we can to interest the student and help them pick up the important concepts.
I also think that due to time constraints coding would not be able to be a focal point of instruction in the classroom. I think spending an hour or two a week would be sufficient. I would be hesitant to do it once every unit or month because I think students would lose the important concepts. This being said, if coding was incorporated into the gen ed classes, teachers would need to recieve proper instruction to teach it. What happens if a teacher knows absolutely nothing about coding? This could be problematic. It seems like you would have to have students learn about coding in a computer science classroom rather than just integrating it into the other subjects with the gen ed teacher.
Yes, I definitely agree, teachers seem to have a lot of trouble introducing topics or tools that they know very little about or have no training with. I think when teachers take a step out to code or try something new in their classroom and are honest about the fact that they will be learning too; it can have a great impact on students because they see their teacher really is trying to learn too! I think teachers can relate to students better and vice versa when we try new things and prepare the best we can.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about that too. As a student, it is always nice to see that the teacher is just like us, learning things as we go. It is also a neat experience for students to share with their teacher when they can learn a new subject or topic together.
ReplyDeleteCoding, unless the teacher has an interest, is one of those, "Great, but not in my class. I have too much of my own content to cover," issues. You might suggest integrating the content with the programming, but again, that requires the teacher to be proficient as well.
ReplyDeleteAs some of the material states, though, being able to program/code is social currency of the future. It opens up avenues that may be otherwise closed (although I think there is a bit of hype currently). It may be what prevents the service worker at a fast food restaurant to be skill-less and job-less once the kiosks are installed.