Apple CEO Tim Cook: I'd Require All Children To Start Coding In 4th Grade (thehill.com)

This week Apple CEO Tim Cook argued at Startup Fest Europe that coding should be a 'second language' taught to all children. theodp shares two quotes from a YouTube video. "We fundamentally believe that coding is a language and that just like other languages are required in school, coding should be required in school," Cook stated. "I do think coding is as important-- if not more important -- as the second language that most people learn in today's world," Cook later added... "I would go in and make coding a requirement starting at the fourth or fifth grade, and I would build on that year after year after year...I think we're doing our kids a disservice if we're not teaching them and introducing them in that way."
Meanwhile, The Hill reported this week that The Computer Science Education Coalition -- which includes Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Facebook, and dozens of other companies -- hired a fourth "advocacy firm" that specializes in "mobilizing groups of people to influence outcomes...to help convince policymakers to provide money to computer science education for grades K-12," and they're seeking an initial investment of $250 million. I'd be curious to hear what Slashdot readers think about government funding of grade school coding classes.

Comments

I'd argue we need more humanities

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd actually argue that we need a hell of a lot more humanities in our schools... learning about how to treat each other, what makes a good life, how to find purpose, learning from history, how to work together to create a society that works for everyone (not just an efficient, technocratic one where everyone who matters is staring at their laptop, and everyone else is condemned to minimum-wage servitude).

Tech-inclined kids will find coding on their own -- I was writing QBASIC in 4th grade -- but it seems kids these days know far too little about history, government, and sometimes even basic civility, compared to the past.

Then again, maybe I'm just getting old and crochety -- and old people have been complaining about kids for millenia.

Re:I'd argue we need more humanities

[thesupraman]

I counter your 'Tech inclined kids will find coding on their own' with:

(Drum roll please)

Parents should teach their children how to be good members of society, and it is not only not the place
of schools to teach that, but it is explicitly overstepping their role to assume they have the right to teach
children social values. Schools are for teaching facts and how to learn, not to shape hearts and
minds (although they certainly think thats their job these days)..

Or do you think some random teacher is the best person to decide on the social values or your child?
Think about it..

Re: Possible translation:

[Bing Tsher E]

Cook also doesn't have any kids. For him it is always "other people's kids."

tax money

[Gravis Zero]

It seems to me that the CEO of a company that's dodging taxes shouldn't quibble over how our taxes are spent.