Benefits Of Right Adoption Of Coding

The future of work is changing our views of jobs for the future. The rapid advancement in AI, ML, automation and algorithmic approach is going to make most of the traditional jobs obsolete. According to a research by the World Economic Forum, approximately 65 percent of today's schoolchildren will end up working in occupations that do not yet exist. The majority of work currently dotting the back-office job landscape will cease to exist in the near future. The emergence of the creator economy and remote working has almost transformed the established paradigms in which people used to work and collaborate. This also underlines the significance of being a natural adopter and builder of internet or app based products with easy and intuitive user experience. The foundational courses of computer programming and have almost become ubiquitous in almost all the curriculums of schools across geographies. Therefore, educating children to create, build and code is going to be the single most imperative in their formative and schooling years and help them build abilities that will last a lifetime.

To this effect, various governmental and non-governmental organisations are taking active steps to incorporate coding as a skill subject in school. CBSE in collaboration with Microsoft has introduced coding and data science in school curricula in 2021. The goal here is to not only empower India’s future generations with new age skills but also to simplify the code learning experience by nurturing design thinking, logical flow of ideas and applying this across the disciplines. With these developments/interventions, children will be exposed to coding and technological nuance at an early age and create opportunities for themselves. 

Coding is a simply a means of communicating with a computer by utilizing a computer-understandable language to direct a computer to carry out particular operations. Coding enables us to develop things like software, websites, applications, and video games. Apart from the obvious hard skills that children will learn, they will also develop many soft skills associated with language acquisition, critical mindset, problem solving, design thinking and so on.

Programming a computer is akin in some respects to learning a new language. It necessitates the acquisition of new symbols and phrases, which must be arranged correctly in order to tell the computer how to function. The computer code must also be readable and understandable by other programmers. Young children are able to acquire languages more quickly due to the brain's flexibility and rapid neuronal development. It is also easier to learn languages as a child because there is far less complex material to process.

In the present day, we are surrounded by numerous electronic devices employing countless software that operates on code. We are extremely reliant on these devices and technologies, which have permeated every aspect of our life. We spend most of our time in digital settings without understanding the coding behind the scenes. Consequently, there is a growing demand for a workforce with computer language skills. In addition, children who are strong at problem solving and critical thinking will be valued in the job market regardless.

Young minds are highly malleable and adaptive. They can rapidly absorb and retain information. Children that are introduced to coding at a young age benefit from learning how to evaluate issues critically, consider other viewpoints, develop creative solutions, and perform the trial-and-error learning process. The earlier children learn to code, the easier it will be for them to master this skill, as well as all the skills that coding fosters. As children evolve from passive users to active interpreters of technology, they are no longer passive consumers.

What is the optimal age to begin learning coding? This is a question that occurs in the minds of all parents. There is no minimum age for children to begin learning to code. Similar to other hobbies (such as painting, dancing, reciting, etc.), coding can be developed as a hobby that a child can pursue. There are various advantages to learning to code.

In order to build functional scripts, young children learning to code are taught how to break down large problems into smaller, more manageable components. This is known as decomposition, and it is a skill that children will find incredibly useful when confronted with real-world difficulties. Coding requires problem-solving and logical reasoning, giving it an excellent foundation for academic success. Kids can also engage in teamwork and patience, two essential success characteristics. Coding is a valuable skill regardless of whether a student pursues a career in technology. Understanding computers will become increasingly crucial as technology advances.

Coding will help children refine their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, given their inquisitive natures and capacity for conceptualisation.Software development is increasingly focused on resolving actual issues faced by everyday people in real situations. The thinking process of problem solving in young people is again a subject that revolves around code, so it would be beneficial to start teaching coding in school at an early age. Multiple recent research have discovered an association between computer programming and cognitive abilities. According to the results, pupils with programming experience performed better on cognitive ability tests than those with limited programming experience. Due to the normalisation of online education, more children are at ease with the thought of taking additional classes through online coding academies and programmes.

NEP 2020 follows the same principle and has also incorporated coding and data science as an essential skill to be included from the school level itself. Coding enables our youngsters to transition from technology users to technology creators, regardless of the industry that interests them. Learning to code will open many doors of opportunity not only for students, but for the nation as a whole as it strives to become a global knowledge superpower. 

Charu Malhotra

Guest Author The author is Managing Director, impact realisation with Primus Partners. Having worked with more than 15 states in the country, she is an educationist with more than 20 years of experience in the design of education learning infrastructure, integrating technology in the classroom and policy and practice for improving learning outcomes.