What the Next Generation Needs Is Math, Not Programming

The title already says it all. After “everyone must learn to code”, people start returning to more sensible ideas.

This article assumes there is no such thing as Computer Science, which is the development of algos and the like which the author assumes is done by mathematicians.

Why place one body of knowledge in front of the other like this? Everything has to be a competition with some people.

It's always been a mistake to believe math is somehow more noble than programming. Best explanation as to why comes from the preface of SICP by Abelson and Sussmann:

"Underlying our approach to this subject is our conviction that ``computer science'' is not a science and that its significance has little to do with computers. The computer revolution is a revolution in the way we think and in the way we express what we think. The essence of this change is the emergence of what might best be called procedural epistemology -- the study of the structure of knowledge from an imperative point of view, as opposed to the more declarative point of view taken by classical mathematical subjects. Mathematics provides a framework for dealing precisely with notions of ``what is.'' Computation provides a framework for dealing precisely with notions of ``how to.''"

What students need is the ability to self-teach. They need to be able to recognize when there is a gap in their knowledge, know how to find instruction in those topics, and have the motivation to follow through on actually learning it.

If children gain those skills by the time they are adults, they can correct any faults in their educational paths.

I also find Math studies by themselves to be quite boring, at least that is how I perceived it for most of my education. Yet I had one teacher who worked really hard to show how Calculus is applied in reality. He made all of his homework and test's real world problem solving oriented. He was also a part time scout for the Seattle Mariners and he would do all of his in class examples using either base ball or real estate. This really helped me put into context many of the concepts and the multitude of ways they can be applied, not to mention it was a really exciting and enjoyable class.

After experiencing that I saw Math in a new light. I simply wish that my K-12 education was more directed to the applicability of many of the concepts we learned as I believe it would have made the subject not only much more approachable but enjoyable.