How Coding & Programming Skills Helps To Prepare Kids For The Future
The future is coding. Coding is the future. Denying it or refusing to learn programming skills is only hindering one from growing, developing and achieving their fullest potential.
There are numerous reasons why programming knowledge is becoming increasingly desirable across all industries, but today we will focus on the numerous ways learning to code impacts an individual. Coding enhances academic productivity and personal development while also preparing people to be useful assets in the workforce.
STEM
Coding and STEM — science, technology, engineering, and mathematics — are often closely linked, making the benefits easy to be overlooked. While we quickly tie coding to STEM, it’s important to recognize what students specifically gain and how exactly their STEM performances are enhanced by learning to program.
One of the most important skills programming develops is problem-solving. When a student writes a line of code and runs it, they may receive an error message or they see a result that they didn’t expect. Such work produces instantaneous results that force a student to go back and review their work, searching for areas where their error may have arisen from.
On the Tanoshi 2-in-1, students have access to pre-loaded learn to code applications, such as Nancy Drew: Codes & Clues and Scratch Jr. These apps make for a fun and creative coding experience, while still teaching their users critical problem-solving skills. Perhaps the cat that a student is trying to animate barks instead of wagging its tail — the student is left to figure how they can change their code to change the behavior they see in the resulting animation. Coding allows students to reap the benefits of instantaneous feedback as they troubleshoot problems all in a fun learning atmosphere.
Humanities
Sure, there is an abundance of programming-related positive effects on STEM-related endeavors. But what about the humanities? Perhaps you’re worried your child’s writing skills may worsen if they code too much. With the emphasis on coding’s connection to STEM fields, it’s a common, but invalid concern.
Learning to code programs will surely enhance your child’s ability to think and write concisely and clearly. Programming languages aren’t flowery, overly descriptive languages. Programmers have to be clear in their code to be able to go back into their code and problem-solve.
Furthermore, instructors often reiterate how someone else should be able to read your code and understand what you’re doing. Being concise and clear in how one writes their code such that someone else can understand their intentions enhances their communication skills.
Clarity is key in coding. It’s undeniable that practicing being clear and direct with words and thoughts will help students through the writing process as they organize large, abstract ideas.
Aside from preparing a student for life down the road, coding enhances and develops thinking patterns and skills that are transferable to all parts of life. Whether in the classroom or not, problem-solving and communicating effectively are crucial tools everyone needs to have — coding is a powerful mechanism that helps people find and develop those tools.
