The primary role of an educational system is to teach children to become responsible and productive citizens of society. Starting from the kindergarten level, children learn the ‘building blocks’ of knowledge in the form of reading, writing, and simple math and logical problems. As we progress into the era of the fourth industrial revolution, there is a need for ‘new blocks’ in education in order to make kids ready for a digital future.
Coding is the new building block! It involves writing a set of instructions that a computer understands so it will perform a task. There are several advantages to teaching coding to children.
First, coding is a tool to inculcate 21st-century skills in young children. Coding incorporates logic, problem-solving and allows students to be creative and think critically. By engaging students\’ minds to code to solve problems in their surroundings, it fosters perseverance and collaboration.
Second, learning to code builds confidence in children. Coding puts children in control of the computer allowing them to create technology, rather than simply consume it. Kids learn to take ownership. They come with ideas, create their own solutions to real-world problems, fail and learn by doing.
Additionally, children learn to express themselves through code. Kids today are brimming with ideas and find it cool and fun to create games, apps, and websites, and even control robots. Coding platforms like Scratch are virtual, block-based, easy to learn, and provide immediate gratification. This builds student’s engagement in class and they become active participants instead of passive learners.
Stimulation exercises like hackathons in place of traditional exams encourage students to think independently, discuss and collaborate with peers. This builds interpersonal skills at a young age, necessary for success in all areas of life.
Finally, Coding is a powerful tool that not only enables students to understand fundamental principles behind technologies but also improves learning outcomes in general. Thereby, opening a world of possibilities for children.