Problem solving has taken up different forms in the times when the world has so much to deal with. With the changing times, digitalization is taking up the pace and is deciding our future. Based on different surveys and reports, people might have to work in completely new job types in a few years. Keeping up with the changing times is always appreciated and it should begin as early as possible. Learning new methodologies, adapting new trends and exploring different fields are just a part of the process. One of the skills that has gained a lot of popularity in recent times and is predicted to be the major source of high-paying jobs, is coding.
What is coding?
Developing countries like India don’t have a very well-structured education system. It lacks creativity, innovation and appears to be very monotonous. A system like this does not promote growth in children. Instead of making them memorize the same chapters, schools must focus on building their critical thinking. Developing skills like critical thinking helps students to align themselves with the world. The world is shifting towards a technical revolution where anyone who is unaware of coding will always be at a higher disadvantage. To explain in layman terms, coding is a set of instructions that help in computer programming. Just like English, Hindi or Mandarin, coding is a language that helps us communicate with computers. Coding allows us to inform the computer about the actions to be made and tasks to be performed. The need to learn coding is so high today that one doesn’t even need a degree to do so.
Reasons to learn coding
People are best exposed to the world when they are young. It helps them accept things faster. In a similar way, the best time to introduce them to coding is when they are young. Since we are moving towards a future that is probably going to run on codes, coding should become a part of our lives. Coding helps children develop creativity. By exploring the different aspects of it and experimenting on their own, they develop their creativity and imagination. It is a very common misunderstanding that one must be extremely good in Mathematics to be able to excel at coding. For anyone who is weak at Math, coding helps you improve it. By letting you visualize the real-world problems, it creates a sense of ownership among the learners. Planning, organizing and crafting are some skills that are taken up by the children while learning to code.
Giving back to the world
Apart from these, one of the very important reasons to learn coding at a young age is that people face different types of challenges in their lives. The pace at which the world is growing, it has become evident that one will have to take care of oneself on their own. When faced with problems, different people react differently. This is because they are not confident enough to face the problem and look for solutions. Coding helps them build analytical skills to be able to approach any problems they face. It is not just about building apps, games or websites, it is a way of life. Learning how to approach a problem and devise solutions for it gives people an upper hand at life. Instead of doing charity or making donations in order to help the needy, coders can devise solutions that can change the world. The world is dealing with disasters like global warming, overpopulation, industrialization, pollution, hunger etc. These disasters can be overcome by using technology in the right way. Coding paves the path for it.
Tips for the teachers
Structural and algorithmic thinking is very important for a child’s growth. Joining smaller pieces together to build a bigger picture makes up for structural thinking whereas having clearly defined steps to reach to a solution is algorithmic thinking. These are helpful in daily activities as well. It helps build the computational skills of kids. Even if they cannot come to a solution or are failing at what they do, coding builds their perseverance. It makes them mentally strong and they learn to persist. With the option of creating absolutely anything with codes, children start to think out-of-the-box. They know that even if they fail, it won’t make a difference since they were doing it by choice. Instead of teaching coding like a regular subject, teachers must focus on the practical aspect of it. They should let the child explore the field on his/her own.
If a child is exceptionally good at coding and knows his/her work well, it can help the parents explore a future in technology. The global leaders of tomorrow are the ones who are well equipped with knowledge from all domains. They don’t just speak of politics but also of technology. Learning to code from an early stage makes one ready for a future that is predicted to extremely advanced.
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Tunisha Banerjee