When it comes to coding, teaching elementary students basic code functions seems to make sense as it aligns with their learning of foundational math and grammar skills. But can a coding program be implemented across all grades and curriculum?
The answers is yes! Coding is a new essential educational building block that will better suit students as they move into their careers, and it can be fostered in all grade levels and subjects. Coding is a subject that affects students’ engagement and growth in these fields of learning:
- Creative Problem Solving
- Collaboration
- Iteration
- Visual Communication
- Empathy
- Tech & Media Literacy
- Presentation Skills
All these areas are expected to be developed across all grades, making coding programs valuable. Teachers can build upon basic coding skills developed in elementary and middle school in high school across all subject areas. English class can assign students to code a program that recreates scenes from the literature they read. Social Studies teachers can instruct students to use statistics from history to find patterns and deeper understanding of the human condition through time. Technology classes can use coding to develop real world function programs that put theory into practice.
The key to implementing a coding program across all grades is to find ways to use all subjects as avenues for learning. How are your schools implementing coding in various grade levels?