In the course of the recent couple of years there has been a developing interest for coding to be taught in schools. The impetus for this comes largely from the fact that the world is facing a growing skills gap unless the education system delivers suitably qualified graduates.

So kids going to school this year, what you want them to learn?

When we are thinking about the next generation of coder, it can be helpful to broaden our mindset and consider not just how to teach code, but how we can teach young kids the skills required for to them learn code themselves.

This chart was produced at the start of its campaign by Code.org, the high profile non-profit the promotes the idea:

Every student in every school should have the opportunity to learn computer science

School’s curriculum must include algorithms and theory, Objective-C and HTML/CSS/JavaScript. All should be taught in the context of students coming up with ideas and building on them. The school’s exams must also include coding tests.

Some key components that can play major role in teaching approach include:

• Building a coding program that starts with elementary students
• Targeting curricular (in school), co-curricular (e.g., lunch groups), and extra-curricular (after-school coding clubs)
• Integrating coding lessons across disciplines (science, math, art, music, etc.)

Training For Teachers

Teachers are missing from schools colleges, posts are vacant, this is a serious concern when one considers the requirement of one teacher for every 30 students. We have many known reasons for this like faulty recruitment policies,  government’s reluctance to fill up permanent posts and hire cheaper staff and lack of qualified teachers is also a big part of the problem.

The survey from Microsoft and CAS referred to in the video revealed that 68% of teachers felt that their knowledge was inferior to that of their pupils have a better understanding of computing than they do while 47% of pupils thought their teachers need more training.

Better programs are needed for awareness, developing skills, we need training tool-kits to be designed and what not. We need to respond to this problem at all levels with more trained teachers. Time is running out!

Some interesting facts for programmers

• More women are entering into programming jobs than ever before

• Popularity