I'm going to play devil's advocate here and discuss a notion that coding using technology may not really be what our students should be learning. WHAT!!?? I know, I know, in all my previous posts I depicted coding like it was the be-all for making our students future ready. But, awhile back I read another blog post that is too interesting not to address. It's called: Rethinking the Coding Craze (2017) by Bea Leiderman. In the post she discusses the fact that when we make our students learn coding, whether they're interested or not, it just becomes another content they are "forced" to learn. Leiderman talks about how the process of coding isn't as important as "designing a process and making it happen." Isn't that what we ultimately want our students to be able to do? She believes that there are other ways the process of coding can be taught and connected to real-world situations other than typing words, symbols, and numbers into a computer. For example, cooking is one of the ways she mentions. Like coding, cooking requires a set of step to be completed in a systematic order to create an outcome (the dish being made). Leiderman provides other examples such as: movie editing and art. However, the take away from her post is that there isn't only one type of technology (coding) which our students need to master. What we should be doing is offering our students opportunities to learn "through projects and challenges that go beyond the classroom walls."
While I did find Leiderman's post interesting and appreciate the point she is making. Which makes sense, not all students are interested in coding. However, as a math teacher, I find the process of actually coding to be invaluable. The step-by-step approach students must take to code is so similar to solving a math problem. Most students, when they solve a problem, get the answer and move on. With coding, there's the error analysis that needs to be completed when a program doesn't execute. This is the same error analysis that students can use to go back and check their calculations., find there mistake, and fix it. This process teaches students that it's okay to make mistakes, but fixing them is just as important as solving the problem correctly the first time.
Teaching students to code isn't trying to force them all into computer science careers, and it isn't beyond what students can do. Coding programs, like Logo and Scratch, that I mention in my prior posts are kid friendly and not complicated to use (notice I didn't say simple? Remember, I coded with Logo too!!). Starting students off with lessons from Hour of Code is the perfect way to allow them to "dip their toes in the pool." Overall, I think whether providing students opportunities to use computers to code or use coding with other contents, they will be applying those future-ready skills needed in the real world.
I think you're right, Kelly! I agree with Cantor (and you) that there are a lot of great ways to teach kids the problem solving and analytical thinking that coding fosters without teaching them CSS or Java. Cooking is a great example. How else can we teach them the skills associated with coding without forcing every kid to commit to advanced computer science classes, which are, as we know, not for everyone?
ReplyDeleteExactly! And, I know last semester you were lucky enough to be apart of Dawn's Skype session with Bea Leiderman also. She is really insightful on this issue and makes a lot of good points. I really appreciated her Blog because it got me thinking in the other direction about coding in schools. Thanks for commenting!
DeleteHi! Thank you for taking the time to read and respond. Could I ask a favor totally unrelated to the content but important to me? Could you drop the Cantor? I go by Leiderman.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry! I corrected your name. Thank you so much for letting me know.
DeleteI really enjoyed Bea's blog post as well. I agree with you both, we often look at the next big educational craze--in this case coding--on a surface level. Instead of breaking down coding to its definition as a step-by-step process to get from point A to point B, we only think about it generally as a computer program. Not all kids want or need to learn how to code a computer program, but all kids do need to learn how to breakdown a problem into steps. Cooking a recipe is coding! How do I get from a list of ingredients to a finished (and edible) meal? Solving a math problem with paper and pencil is coding. We do kids a disservice when we only say they're coding when using a computer.
ReplyDeleteI remember growing up saying, "I'm just not good at math. It's not how I think." Now, I realize that's not true. Sure, there are people who naturally "get" mathematical ideas quicker, but what a sad thing to believe. If we continue looking at coding as just a cool thing someone can do on a computer, we'll soon hear our students say, "I'm just not good at coding. It's just not how I think." That's a bummer.