Coding education for kids is all about teaching how to troubleshoot

By Park Sae-jin Posted : October 2, 2017, 21:37 Updated : October 2, 2017, 21:37

[Photo by Park Sae-jin]

 

Public schools, especially in the United States and Europe, are teaching children how to code from the very early stage of education. In South Korea, well known for the craze for early and higher education, a trend of teaching kids how to program is sprouting only through private education.

Some South Korean parents focus on teaching how to code with a vague belief that it would make them smarter, while other countries teach children the computer language, hoping they would improve life with technology. Seoul has a few private institutions in which kids as young as three or four years old learn how to code, with lessons being carried out in a form of a play.
 

[Photo by Park Sae-jin]



"The way how South Korean parents want their children to learn coding has lost its goal," said Jang Soo-young, the director at the Department of Robotics Education of Robotiz, a company which creates educational programs and modules used for coding classes. "Parents anticipate only the results their children make but what's actually important is the process of learning."

In recent years, the trend of teaching coding has spread globally. A 2016 Gallup survey found that about 40 percent of U.S. schools provided coding classes. Many government officials, educators and parents alike hope coding classes will help children get better jobs and improve life with technology. Their intention is clearly seen in underdeveloped countries in Africa.
 

[Photo by Park Sae-jin]


Jang sees coding education as a lesson that would affect a whole life. "Coding is all about troubleshooting," he said. "If a person wishes to get to a point from another, the answer is not always the straight line. Coding helps kids to look at things from different perspectives."

Robotiz focuses on the "Fun" part of coding. Its teaching aims to have children engage in a lot of conversation and spend plentiful time in setting up their own logic and ideas. "Coding is something that is similar to a bedtime story and it's a great way for a dad to spend time with his kid."
 

[Photo by Park Sae-jin]


Jang, who is also a mother of a primary school student, said the education of coding is appropriate for children who are more than five years old. She does not recommend education for programming.
 
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