British Schoolchildren To Get Programming Lessons

judgecorp writes "The British Education Secretary Michael Gove has said that the school ICT curriculum will be scrapped and replaced with programming and real computer science. Britain's schoolchildren have had compulsory ICT (information and communications technology) lessons for some time, but they are hated by staff and pupils alike, amounting to little more than Power Point training, using the products rather than understanding the code. There is room for improvement — and the British-designed Raspberry Pi could be part of this, but can the new system break away from the old product-centric regime when it will apparently be sponsored by companies including Google and Microsoft?"

Comments

It shouldn't be mandatory

[elrous0]

the current ICT curriculum will be scrapped in September this year, to be replaced by compulsory lessons in computer science and programming.

While I appreciate the need to expose students to computer classes in the same way they're exposed to other subjects, I don't think that something as specific as programming should be a *mandatory* requirement. Programming is a vocation, like many vocations, that some people are cut out for and other people are not. Those with a true passion for it will actively seek it out and those with no interest in it will hate it no matter how many programming classes you force them take. You can't MAKE a great programmer any more than you can MAKE a great engineer, mechanic, etc. Someone has to WANT it first. And forcing someone to take a programming class isn't going to make them a better programmer, any more than forcing me to take a class in shop is going to make me a better carpenter.

I think vocational classes should always be optional. Expose the kids to it, fine. Talk about vocations like programming in mandatory classes, but ultimately let the kids CHOOSE the optional classes based on their interests. The idea that you can turn your country into a tech giant just by forcing kids to take programming classes is ridiculous (if anything, you'll create a country that RESENTS programming).

Offer the classes, make them intensive and varied, and let the kids who WANT to be programmers come to YOU (and they will).

Re:It shouldn't be mandatory

[SJHillman]

Way back in 6th grade, we did "programming" with LogoWriter as a topic of our overall computer class (along with the basics like word processing, basic file management, Oregon Trail and of course typing). It was a nice introduction to programming that was suitable to that level of schooling. We were also given enough leeway to play around with variables and try new things that it piqued the interest of almost everybody. However, and entire class on just programming may be a bit much. Maybe offer programming as an alternative to having to take a foreign language (why is that mandatory anyway?).

Re:It shouldn't be mandatory

[Nursie]

Except these things have such a huge presence and impact on the modern world that a mandatory intro to understanding and programming them is a damn good idea.

Besides which, computer science is not necessarily vocational, it's also an academic and theoretical science.

"You can't MAKE a great programmer any more than you can MAKE a great engineer, mechanic, etc?"

No, but you can make sure they get exposed to it, like we do with sciences, languages and literature.

Those with a true passion for it will actively seek it out

And this is where you fail. They may know nothing about it.

Besides which, if you read TFA you'd find out this isn't several years course resulting in exams, just a replacement to the current braindead "Here is how to open a document in word, here is how to change a font" bullcrap that's passed off as "Computer Education" in British schools at present.

Examined courses (GCSE at 14-16, A-Level at 16-18) will still be optional. If I'd known about programming (other than C64 Basic) when I was 12 I'd have been all over that, as it was I didn't really start until university at 18. This is a very, very good thing.

Re:It shouldn't be mandatory

[SpinyNorman]

Some basic undrestanding of computers isn't really vocational - nowadays they are so pervasive (in all your gadgets as well as computers themselves) that it's really basic knowledge. I'd put knowledge of how computers work (incl. basic programming) in the same class as something like physical geography (how mountains, glaciers form, etc)... If you want to understand the world around you then these are basics you need to know... it's more a matter of foundational knowledge than vocational training.

Re:It shouldn't be mandatory

[umghhh]

...Maybe offer programming as an alternative to having to take a foreign language (why is that mandatory anyway?).

You realize of course that foreign language is a basic skill for almost anybody in the world as it lets kids recognize the fact that there are people beyond borders of your country and that these people speak, it allows you also to know about these people and communicate with them. Besides this it may allow you to be exposed to other cultures which may be beneficial.

OTOH I always hated big part of my curriculum. I understood at some point that the school (university also) is just a tool that lets you learn basics among them how to learn effectively as well as exposes you to things I never thought existed. Surviving pointless classes is a ability that lets you also surviving blah-blah produced by management and marketing deps of different companies as well as nonsense produced by politicians in your country by providing you with well trained ability to ignore them effortlessly.

Of course it also may be that you live in a country that such exposure and access to foreign media is not appreciated and even forbidden, ever wondered why is that? Could this be that the command of 'foreign' language may be used a weapon against tyranny?

Yet another thought - in country I live in at least 14% of population speak another language than I do. It is 'foreign' language yet it can be useful for my son to speak it as majority of his peers at school speaks it off of school. Of course learning some languages may be less useful as others.

Re:It shouldn't be mandatory

[Hatta]

Actual programming classes aren't vocational any more than writing classes are vocational. Not everyone is going to be an author, but everyone can benefit from knowing how to write well. The same goes for programming.

Re:It shouldn't be mandatory

[rev0lt]

About two decades ago, electricity and carpentry were mandatory disciplines in the 7th and 8th grade. I'm not a carpenter, but I can use the basic toolset, operate a tower drill and a table saw, do woodwork finishing with sandpaper and apply varnish if I need to. I learned it in school. Knowing how to exchange a wall socket is a bit like knowing how to change a flat tire - it is potentially dangerous, but you'll save yourself a lot of time and money if you actually know how to do it.
The same idea applies to plumbing - shure, complex stuff should be left to the professionals, but exchanging a connection pipe or installing a faucet is not more complex than using a cellphone or a computer browser, and everyone should know how to use them.

Pixel function multiplies interest in programming

[Twinbee]

I hope that the plot(x,y,r,g,b) function is featured as part of their lessons, because that can easily multiply a student's interest by a factor of 10.

There's nothing quite like being able to control any part of the screen. When I started off on the ZX spectrum, I was just drawing dots, lines and circles. And it looked rubbish, but it felt amazing, especially when animation came into play. Today, I'm doing more this kind of stuff, but at the heart of it is the plot(x,y,r,g,b) function.

Can, but will?

[djchristensen]

but can the new system break away from the old product-centric regime when it will apparently be sponsored by companies including Google and Microsoft?"

Yes, it can, but whether it will or not is probably an open question, especially on Microsoft's part. Both Google and Microsoft have a vested interest in creating the software developers of the future, but I can see Microsoft having a hard time not trying to use the opportunity to create more Microsoft product users at the same time.

Re:no reason why not

[umghhh]

I suppose some basic level of programming say scripting may be useful. Today there is almost no job (in the west) that does not involve some sort of data processing and tasks involving data processing devices which can be simplified by use of said scripting. This and some basic statistics so that the kids have basic foundations for intelligent ignoring of nonsense pumped into our brains by media, politicians etc.