Another great example of helping students with problem solving, is teaching them the ability to code. In the article "Coding in the Elementary School Classroom", 4th grade students are shown how to use MIT's Scratch. The educator initiates the program by discussing the basic blocks of coding. The students master the basic concepts and then their imaginations go wild. They are able to create and use problem solving techniques to code. Students deal with challenges like creating their own backgrounds and reprogramming things to make it better. The teacher found the students to be both enthusiastic and analytical while programming.
I think coding and programming is a powerful tool for students. It uses art, creativity, math, logic, and problem solving techniques to make a game or program. These skills would only help students be better in school and perhaps a career path. I think early exposure to coding and programming is a smart move as well, because as people age they tend to be fearful of the challenges of technology.
The teacher in this article states they started this curriculum for the students, because of the ISTE Standards for Students and Common Core State Standards. Coding was an innovative way for this teacher to implement these new standards. Hats off to this teacher for finding such a great way to help students and spark their interest by implementing new standards.
Mak, J. (2014). Coding in the elementary school classroom. Learning & Leading with Technology, 41(6), 26-27.
ISTE. (2007). ISTE standards: students. International Society for Technology in Education.
2 comments:
Ronaele, I agree that coding is a great tool to have, and I personally have used Scratch with elementary school students. It is a great way to introduce the concepts, that will hopefully be a foundation for more complex coding programs in the future. This relates to my article, which was about coding for high schoolers. Hopefully more teachers will catch on to this and students will be able to increase their coding skills from K-12!
I have recently learned that my 10 year old niece has been learning coding in her 5th grade classroom. At first, I was shocked at the idea they schools would teach ten year olds how to code, but then I came to realize what a great learning experience it is for her. Ronaele, like you mentioned, I think that teaching coding in elementary school classrooms is a wonderful tool. I especially agree with what you stated about people tending to be fearful of technology as they age. Exposing elementary school children to coding and programming could help them in their future, they could be come so interested in the techniques that it could change their career paths and afford them better job opportunities. Like all technology, we need to be aware of how much we expose young children to computers and technology, but this-like anything else- can be great for children in moderation.
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