So why is the USA bringing in the
CS FOR ALL initiative? Why is the QLD Government promoting its policy of
#Coding Counts? Why did the
U.K. change its curriculum in 2014?
It isn't because government believes there is a need for millions of computer programmers in the future. Generally the view is that the world of the future will require those that can not only use technology but also be able to understand it and create with it. This view is
not new as this Guardian article from 2014 shows (and this
Forbes article from 2013). The U.K. has led the way from a country point of view. Their curriculum states that "A high quality computing education equips pupils to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world"
Thus it is not specifically the skill of coding that is the ultimate aim of the curriculum. The actual goal is to equip all kids with the skill of computational thinking. This involves being able to take a large problem and break it down into smaller parts. To examine those parts and looks for patterns which can be exploited to further simplify the problem. To strip away any unnecessary detail before creating a solution which can be represented as a series of logical steps. Finally to be able to evaluate the solution to ensure it does actually solve the original problem.
There might be a number of ways that a skill such as this might be able to be taught and learnt. However, the easiest way is to teach kids to code as they can't code if they don't use these skills. Notably this skill is not only useful when coding it can be applied to any complex problem that is encountered.
A great side effect of this coding skill is that it can lead to greater engagement in many subjects as this new form of creativity allows kids another form of expression to show their understanding. For example, instead of creating a PowerPoint presentation to show an animals lifecycle a Scratch animation could be produced instead.
So having our kids understand how the technology that will rule their lives works rather that just being able to use it will set them up to be able to prosper in this technological age. (And done well they will have fun doing it)
What do you think? Is this a fad or is it a new form of literacy?
More reading on this topic:
Should you teach kids to code - Swayed by tech evangelists, the UK government has put programming on the curriculum. But will kids really be left behind without it?
The Guardian December 2015
An education for the 21st century means teaching coding in schools - An Australian perspective from
The Conversation May 2015
