Getting with the program
For decades, the three Rs have been acknowledged as the f undamentals of learning. But we may soon see a C added to that equation, as the need for coding skills is in increasingly high demand at all levels of education.
If in doubt, you only need to speak to coding (computer programming) experts like Simon Guo, who says learning to code has been a part of his life since he was building Lego robots in grade three in Shanghai. Now a grade 11 student at UCC, he is actively involved in learning advanced coding as well as teaching coding skills to younger students.
In 2016, his coding skills jumped to an entirely new level when he went to his first hackathon. “A friend of mine from UCC took me to an event where we spent 36 hours developing a ‘smart’ t-shirt that could measure and adjust push-up and sit-up positions,” he explains. Since then he has participated in or organized 17 coding competitions around the world.
Guo believes coding has value for everyone, and is quick to encourage students to join in the school’s various computer science activities. He also participates in the school’s Horizons program, where he helps teach coding and robotics to grades five and six students from public schools who visit UCC once a week. In working with those students, he says he has been pleasantly surprised by the skill levels of the girls. “A lot of girls are really, really smart. Younger ones in the program are much better than the boys, to be honest, because they concentrate more and get things really quickly.”
Guo’s is one of many coding-related stories happening in schools across the country. Cameron Smith, senior product manager and spokesperson, Microsoft Education for Canada, notes that IT companies as well as different organizations such as Code. org have been working with schools to ignite a passion and curiosity for coding.
“Hackathons are also growing across the board at all types and levels of schools. They’re a great way for students to showcase their skill sets. In these events, a core group of individuals is tasked with creating a solution to a problem using coding,” he explains, adding that kids as young as grade three can participate in coding events.
It is encouraging for industry to see the “really, really large increases” in coding as part of STEM ( science, technology, engineering and mathematics) learning, he adds. “Some feel it’s more important to know coding than a second language because it is becoming an essential foundation in learning. Computer science is transforming the entire industry and our world, and we need people with the right skill sets to fit those jobs and understand that language. It is estimated that 65 per cent of jobs will require computational thinking ability.”
Smith says he is especially impressed by what schools are doing to ignite students’ interest in coding and computer science. “Many are now looking to the future and how coding in the curriculum will integrate into the classroom moving forward.”
Anjuli Ahooja, a physics teacher at Appleby College in Oakville, also believes that coding and computer science in general are now integral to any students’ education —and their day-to-day life for that matter. “Computational thinking should be a life skill as the world moves towards digital literacy, whether you are a user or a programmer.”
Coding in particular helps students think logically, and coding- based projects can be used for many areas, including STEM learning, design projects or robotics, she adds. “The ability to write code in the future is seen to be as much a part of literacy as grammar. We have already come to that level and have a programmer dedicated to it at our school.”
Lucy Ho, managing director and co-founder of Hackergal in Toronto, has worked with both private and public school boards to promote coding activities, noting that private schools have been particularly progressive in launching pilot projects. “If you introduce coding to girls at an early stage, around grade five or six, they are still open- minded and curious and will want to explore it further,” Ho says.
Not only do hackathons provide an interesting and unique learning experience, they allow participants to explore different careers and how technology applies to their everyday lives, she stresses. “In the future, every single industry will be using technology to solve real problems.”
Havergal was one of the first to pilot a program, she reports. “Other private schools have j umped on board with one- day hackat hons, i ncluding Bishop Strachan, Branksome Hall, The Country Day School and UTS [ University of Toronto Schools]. Private schools tend to have a lot of resources that bring those ideas i nto the classroom with extra- curricular activities like coding clubs and building drones.”
While coding and computer science are considered electives for the most part, some provinces are already moving to making it mandatory, although Ontario is not one of them yet, she says. “They are building skills so they can change the way of industry in the future.”
THE ABILITY TO WRITE CODE IN THE FUTURE IS SEEN TO BE AS MUCH A PART OF LITERACY AS GRAMMAR. WE ALREADY HAVE COME TO THAT LEVEL AND HAVE A PROGRAMMER DEDICATED TO IT AT OUR SCHOOL. — ANJULI AHOOJA, APPLEBY COLLEGE PHYSICS TEACHER