Teaching Coding to K-12 Learners Ying-Ting Wang

The last episode introduces some useful applications and websites which are tailored to a certain age group of young learners. Some have colorful features to attract children’s attention, while some provide simple instructions and video tutorials for them to learn. Those I picked can be served as examples to give the audience some ideas about features, functions, and specialties that they can pay attention to when they are looking for the resources for young learners. Since each child will have their own preferences in mind, and depends on their ages, levels, learning styles, and even learning purposes, we still need to find ones that are suitable for them based on their needs so that we can effectively let them learn to code with play.

Games are very important in young children’s learning, and that is why we should definitely include some when teaching coding to young learners. To make our coding lessons more effective, we should provide our learners with some resources that are suitable for their ages and levels. Compared with the last episode, this focuses more on the online resources that we can find some interactive programming games and activities for young children to play and learn at the same time. The ones I point out and share are all have some specialties; some include a storyline when introducing a programming language, some have different roles for the players to take part in and control the character. These resources are not limited to be used in the classroom but can function as a way to help young learners review the coding concepts and languages they have learned as well.

How are we going to teach coding without using any technology device? Many educators may have the same question, and actually it is possible to do it. The audience can easily find the answer in this episode. By using unplugged approach, they will not be limited to teach coding in the labs or technology classrooms, and they can even gather materials they have and create fun activities for young children to learn coding outside the classroom. The complicated coding concepts can be incorporated into unplugged activities, and I use some interesting examples to demonstrate how to get young children involved in programming learning without a computer, like learning Algorithms through making origami and understanding the binary code by using beads to spell their names.

Moving onto the topic about how to teach coding to young learners, there are two main approaches that we can effectively implement when teaching. Integrated approach is to integrate coding into all different kinds of classes, including Language, Social Studies, and Physical Education. Through combining coding with various subjects, we are able to make courses more engaging and interesting. Different examples are provided in this episode to show the programming elements can possibly be incorporated into classroom activities, projects, discussions, and exercises to let young learners gain knowledge and skills unconsciously.

Besides soft skills, learning to code is important because it can also help improve young learners’ academic performance like mathematic and writing skills. In this episode, we will further explore more reasons to teach coding to young learners by getting to know the importance of programming learning to them. Throughout the process of learning, young learners can learn complex and abstract concepts through putting programming into practice. Coding exercises can also remind them to always come up with a plan before writing, so they can learn to write in a more concise way to accomplish their goals. Learning to code not just teaches young learners tech skills, but also provides them with more opportunities to perform better in different subjects.

The first episode will provide my audience with a simple introduction to myself and the topic I am going to talk about. To attract their interests in listening, this episode will explain why we should teach coding to young children and introduce one of the most important reasons to teach coding to them. Soft skills such as critical thinking and social emotional skills are something necessary that we should be equipped with to facilitate positive interactions with others and better overcome challenges in the future. They are especially essential for children’s development because the earlier we help lay the foundation in their lives, the better we get them prepared for the later success, and coding is a good way to implement and help improve young learners’ life skills.