Are you one of those who feels disappointed because your child struggles and shows less inclination towards coding?
Find out how to approach coding to make the most of it.
Photo by Arif Riyanto on Unsplash
“Have you enrolled your child in the coding classes?” a friend of mine inquired. My “No” surprised her. Her squinted eyes meant, “how could you not?”
“Should I enroll my child in the coding class?” I questioned myself.
Looking at the sudden rush in parents to make their child the next coding wizard. I suddenly needed to know if my children are missing out on a crucial skill.
Am I not being a responsible mother? Or is it just FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). Like most of the human species, I too have a fear of missing out.
Who wants their child to lag behind?
Honestly, no one. But then again my reasoning mind squeaks, “Wait! I know you want to join the race, but make a quick check if this is right for your child.”
Ah! I have to make an informed decision. Why do I have to listen to this reasoning mind of mine, why I can’t just go with the crowd?
Since the pandemic hit, we are confined indoors (to stay alive and safe). You can understand the pain of holding up these young creatures occupied at home, beside the looming anxiety over the head that online learning is eroding our Einstein intelligence.
To ensure they stay on the track, learn and spend time productively (less chaos, drama, tantrums and fights), they need to be fairly occupied. Coding seems to be an attractive option.
Google knows what you need, so it keeps suggesting coding classes.
This makes a good point! Teaching children how Google is using algorithms for suggestions. But before that, you need to know:
· Is my child in a position to understand and comprehend algorithm?
· Will it not cause cognitive overload?
· Are these courses designed keeping in mind child cognitive abilities?
Ah! Now I have to dive in to figure out.
Why teach Coding?
Simply put, it is in demand currently. There are job opportunities in the field. Coding can also be lots of fun and provide students with a creative outlet, and it will give them a leg up when they begin pursuing a career and other professional goals.
Few young children are developing websites, apps, games and programs and making money.
I, too, want my child to be one of them who launches an app at an early age and becomes famous. (I would be a proud mother flaunting my parenting skills when my child makes it big).
But wait! You need to have a better reason than this.
What could be the reason for your child to learn coding?
It helps them to:
· Understand nuances of – STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths)
· Understand technology and learn how things work around them
· Initiate a logical and reasoning process
· Initiate problem solving skills
· Initiate creativity
· It’s good to learn new things
· Keep them positively occupied
Right! You have sensible reasons. However, if your reason is that everyone is doing so, your child should then check if:
You are serving your goals or helping companies to make profits, at the cost of mounting undue pressure on your child.
Because there are several other ways to help your child develop creativity. You shouldn’t undermine the importance of free play, drawing, storytelling-they also play a crucial role in the child creative development.
What to avoid:
Exercising pressure on the child when they lack interest
Showing disappointment in the child
The constant performance pressure on you and the child, it feels as the end of the world
Depreciating child well being and moral
Constant struggle
Each child is different not everyone is born to code. There are different types of intelligence. STEM offers better financial opportunity, thus making it a popular choice.
“This choice leads to a financially secure future, so I want my child to take it up.”
“Oh my God! my child shows no interest in these areas” - sulk. I would put them into various classes to ensure they do better.
No! We know the undue pressure has a damaging impact on the child, emotional and overall well-being.
Just because one child turns out to be an exceptional pianist, not every child should take the piano lessons.
Cool down! Let’s accept the difference and appreciate it. (It’s easier said than done).
There is nothing wrong in introducing children to new things, but showing disappointment in the child’s abilities has destructive impact.
What is Coding?
Simply put: Coding is a method of communicating with a computer. Machines, computers, artificial intelligence and technology - all these need programs to run using various programing languages.
These languages are used to code and give instructions and tell a computer how to perform a task. Java, Python or JavaScript are some of the popular programming languages.
Is learning coding helpful?
Yes, because learning to code involves logic, problem-solving, backwards planning, and other broadly applicable thinking skills.
It’s like learning and becoming fluent in a foreign language, where your brain is learning syntax and synthesizing them into creative expression.
Getting started with coding might be challenging, but start with a clear picture.
Specially with young ones explaining what the big picture is.
How to look at the problem and think ways to solve a problem.All coding projects start with solving a problem.
Young children learn differently from the older and they often have less resilience. There could be setbacks, challenges and failures, but that’s a part of learning to know why and how a piece of code fails and how to improve it; this is far more important than typically writing syntax.
Comments