TEACHING CODING Coding: An introduction By Dan Brown, Digital Learning Leader INTRODUCTION TO CODING
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hinking is behind the power of coding, and this does not solely mean the ability to write lines of script. Programmers and software engineers can do the bulk of this task for us. There is no faster way to expose assumptions in the solution to a problem than creating a flow chart, a visual representation of step-by-step instructions to solve a problem. Try creating a flowchart that you can follow to calculate the correct change using the least amount of coins and notes. This is something the human mind behind the shop counter can do in a matter of seconds, but when asked to articulate the thought process, and explain a process about how to do this, complexities that are assumed to be simple become exposed. Teaching the thinking behind coding is a key power and applying this thinking to coding a solution can unlock a deep understanding of a concept. WHY DO WE NEED TO TEACH CODING? HOW DO WE TEACH CODING? SHOULDN’T A SPECIALIST DO IT?
With digital technologies now a key learning area in the curriculum, coding has become a topic of increasing interest. The push for coding stems from our rapidly changing world, and experts believe coding will be necessary for jobs in the future. According to CODE.org, in 2018, 90 per cent of parents in various countries wanted their children to learn computer science and coding. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) is a good bedfellow for this burgeoning concept in education because coding in itself requires mathematics, outside-the-box thinking, deep problem solving and deep knowledge of the topic to which coding skills are being applied. Through pressure from parents and our ever-changing, technology-driven world, there has been an increased push to teach coding to ensure young people are future-ready. However, if the world is rapidly changing and other nations are already churning out scores of programmers, then why is this a skill worth teaching to all students here at Pymble? Surely, not all our students will find themselves behind a screen passing instructions to a circuit of silicon and
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Preparatory students learn to code with Bee-Bots
metal in their future careers? Surely, fundamental skills in literacy and numeracy will continue to reign supreme? Or will they? Coding is a way of thinking. It is a vessel through which to communicate ideas.” Coding solves problems and is another way by which, possibly, to change the world. There are compelling reasons to teach coding, but coding can (and for understandable reasons) sometimes be palmed off as ‘beyond me’. Some teachers might think coding is something that their students will learn on their own anyway; that it is just another concept in a long and ever-growing list of concepts to teach. Perhaps, coding is seen through the image of quiet rooms, full of people glued to screens, pondering lines of script for hours on end. From here, some believe that students will learn, if they are willing.
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