Why coding @ school level

Partha Pratim Mazumder

(The writer can be reached at parthapratimmazumder1988@gmail.com)

Children want to learn about the natural world and the artificial world, the world of emotions and the world of ideas, the world by themselves and the world with others in social contexts. In order for young children to master new knowledge, they need hands on experiences to construct their learning. Coding is a basic language of the digital age. It involves the process of creating step-by-step instructions which a computer set understands and needs in order for its programmes to work. It has its own syntax and its own grammar. Early coding, or precoding, offers children experiences that integrate communication, thinking, and problem solving. Children can be immersed in versatile activities that align with multiple areas, like mathematics, problem solving, communication, and literacy.

Students have to keep going when they come across an obstacle, and coding helps them do this. When you encourage coding with your students, you're also helping them practice their mathematics. Best of all, they might not even realize they're doing mathematics. By tinkering around and trying new things, kids will have the confidence to build a world all by themselves. Inverting the time and energy to look at a problem and understand it at a different level is a key learning from coding. Children can also see the inter-connectivity between commands — being able to balance different symbols, commands, and processes that are in place, running automatically, vs. those you need to more directly oversee/renovate. Figuring out what mistake/bug/bad line of code lead to an issue in a project is partially intuitive, but often an exercise in logic and attention to detail. It's no secret that children grow up with an almost innate ability to adapt to new technologies. The way they pick up smartphones, computers and games consoles seems like second nature – but it's just the nature of being young. Our ability to quickly pick up complex or technical tasks diminishes with age. For example, the older you become the harder it is to learn a new language.

The same goes for technology use and, more precisely, coding. Today, the importance of learning to code rivals even that of reading and writing. It's a core skill that can help a child develop a deeper understanding of how technology works. Given the extent to which technology shapes our lives, learning to code helps develop a better understanding of the world around us. Schools have a responsibility to provide their students with all the tools and skills they need to succeed in the modern workplace. Increasingly, that means the ability to code. There is little point in focusing on skills that leave students with limited options when it comes to hitting the jobs market. By incorporating coding into the curriculum, you hand children an essential tool for building a successful career. Coding teaches a child that complex problems are simply a series of smaller problems that can be fixed in sequence. Coding can often be compared to hypothesis testing in science, particularly when testing whether a set of codes will stand up and work correctly. Children will be taught to identify a problem, break the code down into segments and test each one, repairing faulty parts before moving onto the next problem. It's this mindset that makes great coders, and one that pupils will benefit from regardless of subject or circumstance.

To succeed in the method of hypothesizing, testing and refining, you need one characteristic more than any other – perseverance. Creating a set of codes only to see it fails upon testing is disheartening, especially if the solution isn't immediately obvious. But if at first you don't succeed, try, try and try again. Coding takes incredible levels of perseverance to try new things, test and find solutions to problems. It's another vital life skill that students will draw upon for the rest of their lives. Coding is important and hugely beneficial, but it poses all-new challenges to teachers. Here are some quick tips for maximizing the effectiveness of your coding classes. One of the beauties of teaching coding is that it can be done live, right in front of your class' eyes. Much like a live science experiment, teachers can create code and piece together programmes in front of learners, creating an exciting, informative educational experience.

Coding comes in many intricate languages. Teachers should focus on mastering the essential components of one coding language before introducing others. Over time, learners will be able to recognise relevant structures in new languages and transfer their skills and knowledge across. One final piece of advice calls back to coding as predominantly a problem-solving exercise. Rather than focusing on building entire programmes, break the process down into many smaller steps. Develop knowledge and proficiency of each line of code required to make up a more complex programme. Intentionally-designed bad codes challenge students to correct it. Jumble the order of syntaxes and semantics and test students on their ability to reorder them. These are all effective ways of teaching young people how to code.

Coding can lead children down the path of successful problem-solving and communication skills, all while still allowing them to be creative. To teaching your kids to code is teaching them how to learn. We cannot wait for the government to formulate policy, top-down approaches are lethargic and byzantine which takes a lot of time to be implemented which our children do not have. Parents and educators would have to take a pro-active approach or else our children will be left behind in the 4th Industrial revolution.