“Learning to code unlocks creativity and builds confidence in students regardless of age, gender or race.” –Dennis Van Roekel, president, National Education Association (NEA)
“Learning to code unlocks creativity and builds confidence in students regardless of age, gender or race.” –Dennis Van Roekel, president, National Education Association (NEA)
The state of learning has changed significantly in the digital age. As Grant Hosford, chief executive officer and cofounder of codeSpark, put it, education is no longer about learning facts. It involves quickly sourcing information, creative problem solving, logical thinking, self-management and mental flexibility.
Whether students aspire to become farmers, doctors, teachers or entrepreneurs, coding—commonly referred to as programming—teaches them key creative and problem-solving skills necessary to learn and succeed in the 21st century.
Why Coding?
An alarming statistic from the U.S. Bureau of Labor projects that by 2020, one million programming jobs in the United States will go unfilled. Coding, however, prepares students for the demands of the technology-driven economy through the development of essential computing and technology skills. Beyond its implications of future career opportunities for students, coding also fosters invaluable skills and learning behaviors, such as self-confidence, proactive learning and persistence.
What to Expect?
Learning how to code is like learning any other language in that the skill must be practiced and tested. Fortunately, research reveals that coding is a type of language that young minds are particularly apt to learn. And as students are transformed from consumers to creators, they will gain an understanding of the basic fundamentals of coding that prepares them for future success.
Students will learn to
Use computer science concepts such as loops, conditionals and variables.
Create games, animations and interactive applications.
Apply math and science concepts they learned in school to coding.
Develop their problem-solving and debugging skills to make things work.
Computers play an increasingly larger role in today’s digital world—impacting many industries such as science, education, communication and manufacturing. By learning how to code, students become prepared for the 21st century workforce and build essential skills that yield benefits that may last well into adulthood.
