Most indications are that coding will continue to be an essential skill for today’s children. It’s not completely unanimous, however, as plenty of people also find true value in helping them develop soft skills but, based on what we know about the current economy and its future, it sure seems that coding competencies will be key in more areas than just computer science. Knowing this, in some schools, students are required to take computer science, but these programs are not always robust. Starting afterschool coding programs to help supplement those classes can be tough, however, especially with all the other academic requirements. But, there are ways to make it happen, including subtly introducing some CS concepts in their different subjects or creating clubs to help students access the experiences they need.
Introducing Coding in the Elementary Curriculum
It’s no secret that technology is one force that's driving innovation around the modern world. That’s all well and good, but students don't always have the opportunities to learn key skills that they need for this world. Despite this demand for computer science skills, not all students can access classes and experiences they need to develop them. Even if you do have a coding curriculum in place, it doesn’t always mean it’s perfect for helping them to prepare for this future. Far too few K-12 students get to regularly take classes with real-world computer science elements in them. At the same time, the job market often continues to lack skilled professionals, leading to struggles filling computer science jobs.
So, how could today's school and district leaders develop beneficial coding programs and implement them to create equitable opportunities? Currently, computer science classes as a curriculum requirement are still expanding. While the number is not as high as we might like, however, it's still definitely increased in recent years. Almost all parents, however, want their children to learn how to code because of its vast implications on the future. They often want kids introduced to coding early as well because learning to code is similar to learning a language. It’s best to start early in a child’s life so they can get their feet wet. Then, they'll perfect their skills over time as they continue to practice and explore new areas.
With that said, coding in elementary schools is no easy task, but one that's certainly worth pursuing. One path school leaders could try is connecting with other educators who can help to recommend a curriculum, product line, or strategies for creating classroom experiences. There is so much computer science content, curricula, advice, and tools available. Educators should also trust their students and work with them to find something that's enjoyable and beneficial for each one. Besides that, it’s important to form a team (a small one is fine) and constantly work together to keep developing the plan, discover what works and what does not, and remind each other to continue having fun while implementing coding in the early grades.
Coding Clubs and Preparing Kids for the Future
Libraries, in recent years, have become much more than just places where kids and adults can go to read. Many serve dual purposes as community hubs, innovation centers, and makerspaces, which is perfect for how the economy is progressing. One other purpose is for hosting coding clubs, which enable students to use STEM tools to explore new languages and build a foundation for potential use in the future. Not only is the job market heavy on coding, it is also an extremely valuable skill from an entrepreneurial perspective. Children can eventually pursue game development, software development, or various other areas with this background—formal or informal—in coding.
The availability of coding clubs in libraries provides many parents with an added opportunity to reinforce its importance. If something as recognizable as a library is transforming, their children may also notice. They could even notice some peers practicing coding and how it can be fun rather than another subject to learn. With coding skills, students may have their pick at STEAM careers in the future. Although it's far away for some, it’s important to provide opportunities for them to discover new passions. Best of all, there are truly plenty of coding tools to make it easy for librarians who might not have much coding experience to set up a coding station and facilitate lessons right in a school or public library.
When kids are coding in the library, they’re in control of problem solving rather than having their teachers or librarians solve problems for them. As important as it is for students to establish programming fluencies, these skills also lay the groundwork for building other critical 21st century abilities. Sometimes, kids aren't learning skills like persistence, creativity, and problem solving in a typical classroom setting, despite these being essential. Coding clubs create a ton of beneficial opportunities for students and have become quite popular around the world. Through programs like these, kids can see that, no matter how young they are, they can design impactful solutions. Coding just happens to be a very viable vehicle for achieving this.
Coding Classes In Your Community
As you might see, coding classes and clubs are both fairly common in our communities. They are routinely available at colleges and STEM businesses as well as at various other places. Along with summer camps, there are additional youth programs with coding opportunities, including community-backed programs. So, while there might not be classes available at every club, it’s worth checking what's available with your local chapter. And, if not, maybe they’re interested in starting something. To the children who participate, coding clubs provide a new activity that’s fun and challenging. To parents, it’s an investment in their child’s future.
One of the best options for integrating coding experiences comes from what's known as the Hour of Code. This initiative encourages students to practice programming at school for one week of the year—Computer Science Education Week. It's also easy to adapt them for community settings as well. Because the premise of one hour of coding per week is so simple, it’s pretty easy to launch programs in the community. All you'll really need is some coding tools and enough kids for some activities. There are also programs online, so all kids would need is a computer and an Internet connection. They can experiment with systems like Scratch or even Minecraft—typically without needing any additional downloads or tools. These are often the kinds of tech tools that help kids see that although coding is difficult, they can try different ways until successful.
Besides these clubs, other afterschool organizations also feature STEM learning as a focal point. Teachers know that coding skills could make or break today’s students and want to help in developing them. Luckily, community coding clubs are viable for children of every age—starting really young all the way through high school. There is something about coding that brings people together in a community setting and, with this collaboration, kids can learn more than they would on their own. The best thing to do is look for any extra opportunities to practice coding and encourage kids to try. If you are thinking about launching a program like this, poke around for STEM grant opportunities to help secure some technology to get started. We provide two $500 awards each month to a deserving educator or member of the STEM community.
Coding Clubs and Helping Get Girls into STEM
Not only are coding clubs helpful for providing more STEM opportunities in general, they can also help us mitigate inequalities. Today, the majority of the tech industry is made up of males and, for whatever reason, girls seem to have much less interest in STEM careers. They can sometimes feel intimidated by the boys in their classes or believe they are not as smart. Some people also hypothesize that, in general, girls truly are just less interested in pursuing a STEAM discipline than a boy. Whatever their reasons, we believe in doing more to inspire girls to simply give coding a try. And, the pressure-free environments in various afterschool or community coding clubs, for example, could be just the cure. They definitely can help keep more young female students interested in this growing field at the very least.
If teachers feel students might try coding if it were an all-girls thing, you could start a girls coding club. You probably don’t need to be told, but you can do this just like when launching a regular coding club. Because girls may be more intimidated by boys rather than technology, however, educators could even use many of the same coding tools in their programs. Maybe girls aren’t as interested in Minecraft or robotics, but there are fun robots and other devices to try instead. It doesn’t have to be formal and, as long as there's a group of committed girls, it could catch on.
At the community level, there are plenty of opportunities for female-centered coding clubs. Librarians often have the space and usually the desire to help children succeed, so, if you are hoping to create any program like this, that's a smart place to start. Especially during the winter months, when there are fewer sports and other activities available, this is an excellent way to help some girls discover a love for coding and problem solving. Starting small with even a few girls in a community program may help to start reducing the gender gap. If you would like some help or advice when it comes to launching a coding club for girls, feel free to contact us and explore some amazing organizations for just that—including Girls Who Code, Black Girls Code, or 100 Girls of Code!
The Future of Coding in Schools
There are some obvious reasons many parents and educational leaders believe in teaching coding in every school. They include this demand for coding skills in the workforce and the fact that coding helps students learn other important skills, like problem solving and creativity. There are other reasons coding education is valuable, however, including that it helps invigorate student-centered learning and collaboration while often reinforcing the notion that coding is a form of literacy. Coding challenges, in fact, will help students develop programming skills and nuances that can prepare them for future careers. They start to see what skills they need for working with artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, or edge computing, for example.
Computers rapidly evolved from machines that simply help people get things done to become devices that we all rely on, use for expressing ourselves, and change how we think about so many aspects of the world. New opportunities are emerging constantly, leading to this greater need for skilled programmers to update the software and hardware. While coding in elementary or middle school classrooms isn't as complex, it helps illustrate the continuous need for skilled programmers. As teachers prepare students for tomorrow’s workforce, they often focus on student-centered teaching, which definitely helps for learning coding. Plus, computer science is about allowing children to explore, experiment, and create, which they can do right in the classroom at all levels of education.
As for the future, some think coding should be mandatory early in education and required for a high school diploma. The amount of computer programmer and computer scientist jobs is still expanding at a high rate. Though it may not seem as rapid as it was 10 years ago, there's still a correlation between filling the vacant jobs and teaching coding to kids from an early age. Even if excessive vacancies in computer science jobs remain in 20 or 25 years, children still need to learn coding. Not everybody goes on to become professional writers—in fact, a very small percentage of us do. But, we still teach writing to every student because it is a fundamental literacy. That’s exactly what we believe about coding. Follow us on Twitter/X for more.
