What do you know about coding? Tell The Sunday Times for a chance to win a £250 John Lewis voucher NOW CLOSED

[MichelleMumsnet]

The Sunday Times have asked us to let Mumsnetters know that they’re running a Learn to Code series this weekend to coincide with the inclusion of coding in the national curriculum.

They told us: “With coding hitting the national curriculum this week, and our readers becoming more tech-savvy than ever, we will be demystifing computer programming in this weekend's edition of the paper. In partnership with Decoded, a company that specialises in digital training, the Learn to Code in a Day guide out this Sunday will take readers step-by-step through app-making.”.

“Editorial Director Eleanor Mills, who did Decoded's Code in a Day course herself, said: 'This is an exciting moment for us as we are the first British newspaper to offer a course like this. With five year-olds now learning computer programming in school, it is essential that adults keep up too.”

“If you’re nodding whilst reading the above then why not give it a go yourself? The easy guide will empower and equip you with the knowledge needed to tackle those potential conversations with your children over homework after school."

“Simply sign up to The Sunday Times for a £1 for 30-day trial and start learning now: thetim.es/1uD6qml”

So, what do you think about the addition of coding to the curriculum? Do you think it’s beneficial for children to learn this from a young age? Is this something you think you could get your head around when you were younger? Are there any other additions to the curriculum you feel are necessary for children to cope with today’s technologies?

Everyone who adds their thoughts to this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £250 John Lewis voucher.

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

[Laquitar]

I cant say i love the idea but i suppose it is necessary in these days.

[missorinoco]

I think coding is a good idea on the school curriculum, and think they will pick up the concept if introduced at an early stage. Technology is so much a part of their lives, this is just a strand of it.

At least one of my children would find the concept of this as interesting as the learning itself. The how-to part of it would enthrall it.

The link for us to learn coding if we subscribe to the Sunday Times feels a little like advertising by stealth though.

[snice]

I am just old enough to have 'missed' computing at school so it all seems alien to me! I can see the logic of teaching coding but have always thought that a useful thing to teach primary aged children would be touch typing too.

I think its a very interesting topic for children but wonder how many primary school teachers feel really confident in teaching it?

[CitronVert]

My DS (10) would have loved this. He did the day of code thing last year and got hooked. I did look for local coding clubs for him to join but there aren't any round here.
He would have loved to do this at school so I think it's a great idea even though it looks like he's missed the boat now he's in yr 6.

[SmallBee]

I think it's amazing that coding is being taught at schools. 'In my day' our computing was a very old single computer for the whole school that we'd use to direct a robotic tortoise around the room.

In secondary school computers weren't widely used, we had an IT lesson once a week on them. I used to get out of handing in homework by claiming our printer had run out of ink, 'but I had done it, honest Miss!'

I think kids should absolutely be taught the inner workings of the computer & I can't wait to see my DD grow to use them with increasing ease. What I'm not looking forward to is when technology surpasses me & I become of of those people who can longer keep up. I had to explain to my Nana that email was free & it didn't cost a penny to send a photo via email, not even if it's going to Ireland. One day that'll be me & I wonder what age I'll be at & whether I'll be cut off from every day communication because of it.
I already have no idea what Snapchat or Vine are supposed to do, or what an earth Pinterest is for. I'm only 30 but I'm curious as to whether this is a sign of things to come or if these are flash in the pan apps/websites that no one will care about in a few years.

[mipmop]

I think that logic / coding / heuristics / "spy code" -which are all fundamentally about following rules to solve problems, and breaking down big problems into small steps - can and should be taught to young children. This is a great concept to be familiar with from a young age. Young children aren't phased by tasks like programming a timer to record a tv programme, and it's all really the same skill. "Do this to get that result". "Be precise". "Compare the actual results with your expected results".

[lordnoobson]

My son went on a Tech camp course for a week in the holidays and learned how to code enough to design his own app.

he loves it.

www.techcamp.org.uk/

[lpbarton]

I think its a great idea with regards to learning skills to take them further however I think they are starting too young. At this age they're still learning and mastering the three R's it seems crazy to add extra to it. I can only guess the people behind it realised it was important but didnt think what 5 year old learning capacity's are actually like!

[CMOTDibbler]

I think its a brilliant idea. I'm old enough that my first programming was punch tape , but I've done some programming all my life, though I find it hard going. I'm in awe of my programming team, and I know they have developed the thinking to code (not the language they work in, but the taking the concept, breaking it down into tasks, then describing them and finally the code) from a young age

[HauntedNoddyCar]

Yes to learning the building blocks like logic and flow but coding is a part of what we need. Solid maths is important and the ability to comprehend instructions. Coding in infants does feel a bit like running before they can walk.
In juniors they should be learning some simple coding but my worry is whether the teachers are adequately prepared given some children will just get it.

I've been coding amongst other stuff for 30 years. I just got it. Went into a role as a trainee and just did it. School taught me nothing about coding really. My Computer Studies O Level was half about the history and my project gave the teacher nightmares!

[mumsbe]

I think that as long as the children can pick it up easily and the parents are given the opportunity to learn this also so we know what our kids are talking about and we can also help them with homework.

[UnfortunateUsername]

I'm a coder and I think that absolutely children should be taught the fundamentals in schools, although I can't see that going too in depth at an early age would do any favours. At it's core really all you're doing is teaching children logical thinking, something that's definitely a transferable skill regardless of what profession they choose to go in to.

[ScienceRocks]

Brilliant idea to teach coding at school. Hope it is not too focused on one programming language though, and works on concepts and principles as well as specifics, otherwise it will be an obsolete skill very soon.

[MrsCakesPrecognition]

I think teaching coding, and the logic it requires, is an excellent plan.
There something hugely satisfying about breaking a problem down, designing a solution and then successfully building it.
But I would say that as I'm a programmer by trade.

[BlackeyedSusan]

this is what ex does and although the words sound like English I do notunderstand what the heck he is talking about.

i do know there are several languages to code in.

quite frankly it does not interest me, I know it should. maybewhen the children are alittle older and ds has learned some of his own strategies for coping with autism I will have some time to be interested. this is one area of the curriculum I am subcontracting to their father.

I also fear for the school computers. ds could be a whizz and do all sorts if let loose. this is where we return to impulse control, and consequence learning. not so easy with ASD.

[0898]

I love the idea of Learn To Code In A Day. I really enjoyed teaching myself how to program my little 48k Spectrum when I was 7/8 and it's such a shame that there was no encouragement or facility for me to learn at school to take it further.

I'm pleased that my 5 year old son will learn coding. To me, it seems more valuable than a foreign language in today's world.

[LetticeKnollys]

I agree with PP that the emphasis should be on logical thinking for young children, and then it can be applied later in the curriculum to coding (though it will also be useful for other subjects).

I don't know much about coding, although I will probably want to learn a little when my DC reach school now that they will need to know. It doesn't sound too intimidating, I'll probably just use web based resources.

[BigfootFiles]

^“Simply sign up to The Sunday Times for a £1 for 30-day trial and start learning in this Sunday’s digital edition: thetim.es/1uD6qml”^

So if we buy the actual paper we don't get access to the digital content?

[CultureSucksDownWords]

At key stage 3 and 4, 'coding' could always have been taught as part of the previous ICT curriculum. However many schools avoided it as they didn't have the skills/knowledge to do so effectively. Better schools would already have been addressing a lot of what is in the new computing curriculum.

It's also worth pointing out that academies don't have to follow the national curriculum. A lot of primary and secondary schools are now academies. They can choose to offer different content if they seem it suitable.

I think that embedding computing concepts from primary school upwards could be a fantastic step to promote an industry that employs large numbers and will only continue to grow. In addition, everyone can benefit from learning about logical thinking and problem solving. Having an understanding of these sorts of concepts will help children learn to use future tech that doesn't yet exist.

[shoofly]

I have no clue about coding - we didn't even do computers at school (dinosaur age) - I am really interested in the idea of this as Ds1 is 8 & minecraft mad - he is so keen to learn how to code and I'd like to know what he's on about!

[ChaffinchOfMegalolz]

brilliant that it is now part of the curriculum. UK needs to compete with the rest of the world and stay at the edge of computing

my kids will love it. I imagine it's rather mathematical, maybe like reading music...patterns etc I love the films Hackers and the Matrix...

[HourByHour]

I'm in Scotland so we have a different curriculum. I worked in IT as a programmer after a social sciences degree and remember then being told that some of the best programmers were in fact language students and being amazed - I'd had no interest at all in computing until I was looking for a job.
In terms of teaching kids I think it is a really good idea and should be seen as a similar benefit to learning a language - it's not just about the language itself or about the computers, there are much broader educational benefits. These include logic, problem solving and a greater understanding of how the world works. I don't think anyone is suggesting that coding is more important than the basics of reading, writing and maths but people may underestimate the overlap of coding with other areas of learning.

[LittleBallOfFur]

I find it a bit frightening tbh, but that's probably because of my own limited understanding (which stretches to basic html). It feels the start of a fundamental change in learning and makes me wonder how things will look in another 15 years. I guess its necessary? Although 5 years old seems very young.

As long as there's still plenty of time for writing, music, climbing trees etc

[Cereal0ffender]

Coding is basically logic and should be taught but not to 5 year old, they are creatures entirely without logic. I think around 10 is a good time to introduce logic and coding

[Patilla]

I'm a bit ambivalent about it being taught - I'm a bit of a traditionalist in preferring that the central tenants of reading writing and maths/science be focused on instead.

I understand it does teach certain thought processes and if it is genuinely used in that way then so be it but I certainly think it should wait until y3.