Computer Science; A Vital Opportunity for Every Student

If you are a parent or an educator of children; your main goal is likely to be something like, “To prepare youth for successful and fulfilling futures.” There are a multitude of factors that go into this endeavor; and I could write multiple blogs on each one of these notable factors, however, just last week there was a message sent from over 500 business, education, and nonprofit leaders, entitled, “Computer Science: Opportunity for Every Student,” that beckoned and urged state governors and education leaders across America to include computer science as a core subject. “Why? Because computer science provides an essential foundation — not only for careers in technology, but for every career in today’s world. Studies now show that students who learn computer science outperform in school, university, and beyond.”

In Education, if we are preparing students to be successful for life after school, we need to pay careful attention to what the world of work is calling for and I have never seen a more explicit, urgent and united call to action from businesses and education leaders: 

“Together we urge you, for the sake of our students, our economy, and our country, to work together to update the K-12 curriculum, for every student in every school to have the opportunity to learn computer science.”

One of the reasons why these leaders are practically pleading that computer science be taught in schools is because there are not enough qualified workers coming out of school to fulfill the expanding need: “The job openings in computer science today outweigh the number of people ready to fill them. In the U.S., there are about 700,000 computing jobs but only 80,000 computer science grads each year,” and “yet only about 5 percent of high school students study computer science.”

Many educators do not have a computer science background, however, an educator does not need to be proficient in the area of computer science and coding to give students this necessary exposure to this important life skill; especially in the early grades of elementary school and middle school. 

For example, BrainPOP has “Creative Coding” — developed in partnership with Scratch and Vidcode — that provide block and text-based coding projects spanning the K-12 curriculum where educators do not need to have any background or sophisticated understanding in coding to provide this necessary activity for students. Scaffolded and delivered at the topic level, the projects are specifically designed so that all teachers can easily introduce coding no matter what they're covering in class. Because they span the curriculum and provide multiple opportunities for differentiated instruction, BrainPOP’s Creative Coding projects reach students with a breadth of needs, and at all levels.

As I’ve been contemplating this nonpartisan message sent by all of these leaders, I have looked through numerous article on the importance of coding for students. The following, are some of my “Top Reasons to Code” for students in schools curated from some of these articles:

Coding Nurtures Creativity

Just like painting or cooking, coding encourages a child to benefit from the satisfaction through the process. In the real world, creative acts are often limited by the materials we have at our disposal—like ingredients when we cook or the canvas when we paint. But with coding, where the virtual world is infinite, the only restriction is the child’s imagination. Creativity lays the foundation for innovation, ingenuity, and leadership because it represents the ability to connect existing ideas with new solutions, approaches, and concepts.

Creative thinking begins with a questioning mindset. And, through coding, we enable our curious and imaginative kids to be the creative thinkers of the next generation. It can be taught by encouraging kids to experiment, explore their ideas, question their assumptions, make mistakes and learn from them. (Top 5 Benefits of Coding for Kids)

Coding Promotes Learning by Doing

Children learn best through doing and exploring. Learning by doing refers to a theory of education expounded by American philosopher John Dewey. It’s a hands-on approach to learning where students interact with their environment to adapt and learn. Learning by doing is the idea that we learn more when we actually “do” the activity. For example, imagine a kid is learning to play a game. With the learning by doing approach, the kid would understand the app they are using to play the game. Later, they begin to discover more about the movement of objects, points they can earn, and so on. It involves active engagement, not a passive practice. Active engagement facilitates kids with deep learning and encourages mistakes, notice wrong movements, and how to learn from those. Most importantly, the ability to code transforms kids from passive consumers into innovative creators, with eyes that see every piece of technology as more than just a toy but as a problem to solve and an opportunity to create. (Top 5 Benefits of Coding for Kids)

Computer Programming Gives Kids a Challenge and Helps them Develop Resilience

When children learn to code, they develop the ability to bounce back after failure. They learn that failure isn’t necessarily a bad thing, and in fact, it can often be something positive because it serves as a learning opportunity. This is one of the most important reasons why kids should code, as they will learn quickly that ‘debugging’ your code is half the fun.

When you fail and try again you can learn from your mistakes. Coding gives children the ability to try and try again until they succeed and produce the result they are looking for. (8 reasons why every child should learn to code (8 reasons why every child should learn to code).

Coding Boosts Problem-Solving Skills

Coding is, without a doubt, one of the most straightforward ways for children to boost their problem-solving skills. At its simplest definition, problem-solving refers to a person’s ability to tackle complex or novel situations in an efficient way. Someone with well-honed problem-solving skills weaves disparate skillsets such as creativity, emotional intelligence, research skills, collaboration, and decision-making into a cohesive and effective response. 

In a programming context, coders are constantly challenged and asked to problem-solve. The practice all but requires them to break issues down into more manageable sub-problems, then progress through an iterative process of identifying, prioritizing, and implementing solutions.

This research indicates that even if your child doesn’t want to go into coding as an adult, establishing a practice of coding early in life will nevertheless help them build highly-transferable cognitive skills. (7 Reasons Why Kids Should Learn to Code)

Coding Improves Math and Logic Skills

Learning code teaches kids computational thinking — the process of breaking down complicated tasks into individual steps (like loops, conditionals, etc.) that a computer can understand. This is the same process used to break down complex arguments, and is a pillar of logical thinking. The more kids practice coding, the better their logic skills will become. Math skills can often feel abstract and hard to grasp. This is particularly true as a student enters high school-level mathematics, a transition that many of us have struggled with. Coding projects can make math concepts feel more real. As students proceed to learn pre-algebra, algebra, and geometry, variables and other concepts that they have already garnered from computer science are sure to give them a headstart. (Top 8 Reasons Why Every Kid Should Learn to Code)

Coding Prepares Students for the Careers of the Future

Finally, we can’t end this list without mentioning careers. Coding skills are indicators of digital literacy — a necessity in this digital age! Nearly 50% of all jobs require some coding skills....Further, coders are proven problem solvers and logical thinkers, skills that are valuable in any career field. I recall asking my older brother, who is now an economic professor, why I need to learn the math I was learning in high school, and he told me, "That sometimes, the most important thing you are learning is learning how to think and solve problems that you will be able to use and apply to other situations." This has always stuck with me. Steve Jobs echoed this same sentiment with coding by saying, “Everybody in this country should learn to program a computer because it teaches you how to think.”

In Conclusion

When it comes to preparing our students for successful futures, coding is vital in providing opportunities for students now and in the future. The time is now, “for the sake of our students, our economy, and our country, to work together to update the K-12 curriculum, for every student in every school.” Let’s be sure to empower kids to shape the world around them and within them by providing integrated opportunities to code beginning in in elementary school and continuing with complexity throughout their school experience.