Admittedly before I read the article Coding in the curriculum: Fad or foundational? I did NOT think that coding should be considered foundational in education. I am not a coding person; I haven’t spent the time developing the skills and I don’t find it all that interesting.

 

However, coding isn’t necessarily about creating expert coders. It is more about building computational thinking and other soft skills. It enables students create, try, fail, problem solve, adjust and try again. The inherent value of coding is more than the direct connection to curriculum.

 

I am a physical and health educator. I have a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology and specialized in physical education in my professional development program. I believe participation in physical activity and sports is essential for developing important life skills like perseverance, leadership, teamwork, respect, hard work, time management and many more. Where the article won me over is when it outlined the importance of the skills that are learnt through coding, the same as individuals learn skills through active participation.

With this in mind, why wouldn’t you include coding into education? Why wouldn’t teachers want to include the development of 21st century skills. When students learn to code, they also learn how to communicate with precision and accuracy, as well as creatively solve problems. Additionally, some students may find their passion area, and then be able to pursue coding further.

 

I believe that coding among other digital literacies should be integrated into education, either as a separate course or within other subjects. The more exposure we can give students to a variety of skills with inherent value the better.

 

Images retrieved from the public domain Pixabay

 

References:

Sterling, L., “Session L : Coding in the curriculum : Fad or foundational?” (2016). 2009 – 2019 ACER Research Conferences. 4.
https://research.acer.edu.au/research_conference/RC2016/9august/4 Retrieved from:  https://research.acer.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1297&context=research_conference