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Should kids learn to code?

theguardian.com

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Re: Should kids learn to code?

#41

Post by baldfat »

weego wrote: post #14

Should kids learn a musical instrument Should kids learn to play chess Should kids learn to play soccer Yes if it interests them. No if not. I feel like we might have solved this problem for X a number of times in the past. I'd also warn against the notion that learning to code magically improves critical thinking/task management. They are accessory skills that good developers have or have learned.

> Yes if it interests them. No if not.

If you do that with food you have a grown person eating Chicken Nuggets and Mac & Cheese for life and not know the awesome food that is around them.

Re: Should kids learn to code?

#44

Post by pinn4242 »

steven2012 wrote: post #26

The answer is "If they want to". Forcing a kid to learn to code is the same as learning the violin or putting them in football. If they are interested in it, great. If not, it will be like torture.

I don't get it. "Forcing a kid to learn English is the same as learning the violin. If they are interested in it, great. If not, it will be like torture." What? Coding is another language (and I should know, I created a computer language)--somewhat. I learned piano, and don't think that should be forced (I also don't think I'm threatening the jobs of concert pianists). The basics of coding should be forced, though.

Re: Should kids learn to code?

#45

Post by tracker1 »

verisimilidude wrote: post #37
mordocai wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be fair, learning to code also teaches how to break down problems into their most simple pieces which is a very useful skill. I am myself mixed about the benefits of learning to code. I am currently leaning towards it being equal to the other activities you list, but not greater than.

When I was growing up (80s), the computer was treated like a black box in education. You'd sit at the computer, recite the incantations, and the computer performed the magic. At school, they sat you in front of the computers and you just tinkered with the software for an hour while the teacher finished grading papers. At home, chances are good your parents didn't understand much about computers, so you were mostly on…

I would say if your kids have an interest in learning to program, help them, let them. If they don't, don't force it. There are a lot of things kids should understand, and anything else can be learned. The guys working on computers in the 60's and 70's understood them better than most people today working on a computer, writing software because they had to, and none of them grew up learning to code.

At 40, I'm well on my way to becoming a gray beard, just the same this shouldn't be required. Maybe somewhere around 10-12yo, an rPI or similar would make sense to tinker with in school... but that should only be to introduce kids to these things.

Kids are naturally creative and curious... let them know something is possible, and let them choose to explore. I wish there were more schools that offered elective coursework earlier on the junior high school... it would let kids explore more in a semi-structured way.

Re: Should kids learn to code?

#46

Post by tracker1 »

baldfat wrote: post #41
weego wrote: post #14

Should kids learn a musical instrument Should kids learn to play chess Should kids learn to play soccer Yes if it interests them. No if not. I feel like we might have solved this problem for X a number of times in the past. I'd also warn against the notion that learning to code magically improves critical thinking/task management. They are accessory skills that good developers have or have learned.

> Yes if it interests them. No if not. If you do that with food you have a grown person eating Chicken Nuggets and Mac & Cheese for life and not know the awesome food that is around them.

Kids tend to be naturally curious and want to help... let them help, even if it slows you down. If you cook and let them help, when they are young, they will learn.

And yes, some people as adults only eat chicken nuggets and mac and cheese... though to be fair, I spent two years perfecting my mac and cheese skills (baking vs. stove top, bechamel route vs sodium citrate, sauce and cheese variations) making it about every other week.

Re: Should kids learn to code?

#47

Post by Shish2k »

fucking_tragedy wrote: post #40
malux85 wrote: post #2

Yes, even if they're not going to become programmers, coding teaches people two important skills that I see lacking: - The ability to break up large, seemingly daunting problems into smaller manageable chunks. - The ability to shift perspectives from the 50,000 foot view, down to the individual line of code view, and then back up to the 50,000 foot view, and then back down again! Variances in individuals abilities ca…

Those are skills that can be learned in domains other than software development.

This comment seems to be missing a "for example". I don't doubt that it's true, but it seems that you have thought about the idea, so I would like to hear your complete thought :)

Re: Should kids learn to code?

#48

Post by steven2012 »

pinn4242 wrote: post #44
steven2012 wrote: post #26

The answer is "If they want to". Forcing a kid to learn to code is the same as learning the violin or putting them in football. If they are interested in it, great. If not, it will be like torture.

I don't get it. "Forcing a kid to learn English is the same as learning the violin. If they are interested in it, great. If not, it will be like torture." What? Coding is another language (and I should know, I created a computer language)--somewhat. I learned piano, and don't think that should be forced (I also don't think I'm threatening the jobs of concert pianists). The basics of coding should be forced, though.

It's not just learning a language. It's a tool to allow you to build computer applications. Some people simply aren't interested in building apps, just like some people aren't interested in playing music or throwing/catching a football.

Re: Should kids learn to code?

#49

Post by pinn4242 »

steven2012 wrote: post #48
pinn4242 wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't get it. "Forcing a kid to learn English is the same as learning the violin. If they are interested in it, great. If not, it will be like torture." What? Coding is another language (and I should know, I created a computer language)--somewhat. I learned piano, and don't think that should be forced (I also don't think I'm threatening the jobs of concert pianists). The basics of coding should be forced, though.

It's not just learning a language. It's a tool to allow you to build computer applications. Some people simply aren't interested in building apps, just like some people aren't interested in playing music or throwing/catching a football.

Where did we get to apps? How about just command line? I'm not sure if you create apps for your job, but that's not all of programming. I work on an "app" for my job, but it's a more-or-less vertical. I really don't see how teaching a child some command line or REPL (read execute print loop) stuff threatens my job. Even if that child is in India or something. I'm secure in my own abilities.

Re: Should kids learn to code?

#50

Post by steven2012 »

pinn4242 wrote: post #49
steven2012 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not just learning a language. It's a tool to allow you to build computer applications. Some people simply aren't interested in building apps, just like some people aren't interested in playing music or throwing/catching a football.

Where did we get to apps? How about just command line? I'm not sure if you create apps for your job, but that's not all of programming. I work on an "app" for my job, but it's a more-or-less vertical. I really don't see how teaching a child some command line or REPL (read execute print loop) stuff threatens my job. Even if that child is in India or something. I'm secure in my own abilities.

I have no idea what you're talking about.
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