Coding in School: Raising a New Generation of Digital Literate
Taking a class on digital literacy has made me think a lot about the gap in my knowledge when it comes to computer programming. When I was a kid, this seemed like such a niche area, for the boys who really liked computer games and who seemed instilled with some deeper understanding of electronics and computers than the rest of us. I never thought about it as a skill I would need, nor one that would be useful if I did not pursue computer science. Looking back now, in a world where almost every profession interacts with technology in some way, and where programs and algorithms are changing how we do everything, it would have been nice to have gotten a stronger handle on at least the basics at an earlier age. So this week, I did some research on what kids are learning today.
Integrating Coding into Primary and Secondary School Education
Over the last two decades, there has been a huge push in several countries to teach children to code. What was once a pursuit of a minority who found ways to explore on their own time has now grown into big business. Summer coding camps, boot-camps, after-school coding clubs and apps specifically targeting young children to teach them the basics of coding have become commonplace. The first visual programming language geared towards children was created as far back as 2003. More recently, the discussion has shifted towards whether coding should be part of mandatory learning in primary and secondary education, and numerous school systems are beginning to integrate some level of computer programming into core curriculum. At least 29 countries have adopted computer science as part of their kindergarten to grade 12 curriculum.[1]
The goal of these programs is not only to make children computer literate, but to ‘future-proof’ them by teaching them the skills that will be relevant to the ‘jobs of tomorrow’. The hope is that early exposure means more students will have the opportunity to develop these skills and consider professions in technology. Many countries are also facing a shortage of professionals with computing skills. Integrating coding as early as primary school could help to funnel more students towards STEM and eventually fill some of the domestic gaps in skill-set.
Are the changes we are making to school curriculum valid? Advocates of integrating coding into primary and secondary education equate coding with teaching children to read.[2] The implication of this line of argument is strong — to not teach coding is akin to depriving children of a quintessential skill that will forever hamper them as they go through life. It’s a very drastic line of argument but that doesn’t mean there isn’t some merit. We learn language to communicate with each other. At a very simple level, we now speak to and through computers as much as we do with other human beings. It is made all the more compelling by the attempts to now re-skill many workers who are losing their jobs to automation and other global trends by giving them coding crash courses. If only we had all learnt this earlier, right? However, there are still many challenges to integrating a well thought out coding program into core curriculum.
Who should be teaching this?
Finding the right teachers is difficult, as people with the necessary skills are not often attracted to teaching or qualified to teach children. Most primary and secondary school teachers have little to no experience with coding, making it a challenge for them to deliver the material in a classroom setting.[4] We need to consider how the teachers themselves will be able to master sufficient skill to be able to at least keep students engaged.
How should digital literacy be taught?
An issue being raised, in particular by developers themselves, is how to teach coding. One criticism of these initiatives is that coding is being presented to children as a set of problems with specific solutions, instead of imparting the creativity and nuance involved in coding. They take issue with the idea of comparing coding to a language or syntax that can be ‘mastered’.[5] For these critics, the focus should be on teaching children to think and to problem solve instead of to code.
But problem solving is incredibly difficult to teach and coding may actually be an interesting way to build up that skill. Steve Jobs believed everyone should learn how to code for the very reasons that ‘coding teaches you how to think’. [3] Jobs drew parallels to law school; as a recovering lawyer, this was a very interesting line of thought. Learning ‘how to think’, or, better, how to think logically and systematically through problems, is not an easy thing to do, but definitely a pursuit with more universal application than many of the other subjects we traditionally cover in school.
Who should it be taught to?
Not everyone needs coding skills and those who are interested can be exposed through extra-curricular resources on their own time. While this may be true, it ignores the barriers to entry for a lot of students, whether they be socioeconomic or other environmental factors. Many children do not have the resources to do summer camps or after-school clubs to learn to code. Depending on where you live, who your parents are, what gender you are, even what stereotype you fall within, you may be more or less likely to actually pursue this on your own time. Adding coding to the school curriculum democratizes access to coding, providing equal opportunity and removing the stereotypes and realities that inhibit some children from learning or pursuing computer subjects.
What are we sacrificing to teach it?
In order for this to be added, traditional courses need to be cut back on. That’s not a bad thing per se, but it does give me pause. The education system should be reviewed for relevancy and updated much more frequently than it is. The subjects we are taught have not changed in decades. But we should not be quick to sacrifice core subjects, in particular arts and humanities, at the altar of technology. The real question here is — is coding a specific skill that may or may not be relevant to future jobs [6] or does it truly give children exposure to and an understanding of a (not so) new and integral part of our world, while helping them develop a way of thinking and problem solving?
Ultimately, exposure to basic coding and programming can help us raise a new generation that will be able to more deftly integrate technology into whatever path they choose. It may not ‘future-proof’ them, as the world is constantly changing and new skill-sets are being demanded all the time, but it definitely has merit and can give more children exposure and ability to pursue studies that may not have previously been available to them. Or maybe it will just lead less people to go to law school.
#CBSDigitalLiteracy
[1]https://news.cgtn.com/news/3d3d774e79517a4e33457a6333566d54/index.html
