Victoria Brujó de Liñán

23/10/2022
Practice 1

Should children learn to programme in school?

Every parent wants academic success for their children and that comes with learning to

programme from a younger age. In order to understand what this is about, there’s a need to

know what programming consists of. Coding is a method of communicating with a computer,

using a specific language that the computer understands to give it instructions in order to

perform a specific function. It is asking the computer to do something for you and

programming things such as websites, apps, video games or softwares can be created.

There isn't any specific age for when to start coding, as each parent has a different viewpoint

on the matter, but even primary students can start to learn programming skills. Back in the

1908s, there was a push in primary schools for children to learn the basic computing skills

with the so-called BBC computers and, later on, the Big Trak toy vehicle was brought to

United Kingdom schools to teach children the basics of programming. Although there isn't a

perfect age to start learning to code, it is believed that the most adequate one is from seven to

ten years old. There are many reasons for why children should learn programming, but the

most important and recurential ones are that coding boosts problem-solving skills, it helps

with writing and creativity in younger ones and, at the end of the day, computers are the

future, therefore digital literacy is seeked.

Teaching children to programme from a young age boosts problem-solving skills.

Programming is, without a doubt, one of the most straightforward ways for children to boost

their problem-solving skills. At its simplest definition, problem-solving refers to a person's

constantly being challenged to problem-solve; they are asked to break the problem into

smaller pieces, into subproblems and, from there, start building or creating a solution.

A 2013 study, carried out on five and six year-olds, showed that when children take part in

programming activities, their capacity to develop mathematical, problem-solving and social

skills grows. Moreover, the researchers came to the conclusion that these children enjoyed

their learning experience even more. Hence, children begin to refine their problem-solving

skills as soon as they take their first coding challenge.

The second reason as to why to teach children coding skills is because it helps with writing

skills and teaches creativity. This is something every teacher and parent wants for their

children, being taught how to develop creativity since they are little, which is directly related

with brain development. Programming can boost children's capacity on written skills,

developing a more concise and structured approach to storytelling.

When it comes to creativity, it is a skill that people tend to lose as years go by, so, what can

be done in order to maintain a child's creative skills? The answer is easy, teach them to

programme from a young age; experts suggest showing children the basics of coding. By

experimenting with computer code, they will learn to take a different path to solving

problems in creative ways that they didn't think of before. With programming, children are

constantly asked to experiment and once they understand the functionalities, they'll start

asking ‘what if’ questions that will maximise their creative capacities. Age-appropriate

programming projects encourage children to tell stories and develop unique programmes that

let them combine their logical thinking with creative and artistic learning.
Finally, we look at how the world is changing and developing, coding is an extremely useful

skill to possess. Nowadays, everything is starting to rely on computer programming, not only

the things that belong in the technology world, but the rest of businesses and enterprises that

are joining the coding world and have nothing to do with the technological industry. A child

who already knows how to code will have many advantages in life when he grows old, when

it comes to the employment aspects and any other aspects in life. But, in order to know about

programming and control said skill, digital literacy is needed.

Generally speaking, digital literacy refers to the ability a person has to understand technology

in a thoughtful and meaningful way. Therefore, children need digital literacy, which

summarises in the knowledge and domain of topics such as internet safety, cyberbullying,

digital footprints and online ethics, to actually have a chance when computers become the

future.

In conclusion and when programming, students learn how to edit, improve, and persevere to

create something new and interesting for them. Children also learn to find a solid structure in

activities and send tasks, break problems into smaller ones to work easier with them, build

solutions, maintain creativity and boost their social and thinking skills.

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EDC. 2022. Should All Children Learn to Code?. [online] Available at:

<https://www.edc.org/should-all-children-learn-code