Programming should be part of the school syllabus

Until we can get kids to leave schools literate, numerate and with an understanding of how the world actual works (competition, success and failure etc), then diluting with additional skills is pointless.

Not to mention you need a good maths background to be a good programmer...
 
Hikari Kisugi said:
Once hat is sorted then we can have programming.
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What has Harry Potter got to do with this? :confused:

The idea of teachers doing programming fills me with horror, honestly they wouldn't have a clue and would trot out reams of half assed copied ideas and put kids off for life.

I learnt on a ZX81 because the only way you could play a game was if you wrote it yourself. I was teaching myself Z80 assembler 6 months later. I was the only kid in a large comprehensive that was into it.

Years later they were teaching LOGO as a noddy way to teach programming skills, seemed a bit weak to me.


All parents should give their kids a Raspberry Pi
http://www.raspberrypi.org/
and let them have a play, if they don't think it's amazing then they are never going to be a programmer in a million years.
 
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This is the best idea I have ever heard. Without question. Ever.

Except for the bit where it isn't.

Where are you going to find enough able-minded programmers who:

a). are allowed to be near children
b). would WANT to go into a profession where there is no respect from kids
c). could agree upon a curriculum

It's like saying all kids should be taught architectural design instead of art, it's such a niche as to be useless to 99% of kids. Besides which, what language do you teach them? Programmers the Internet all over cannot agree on which language is best to start with, let alone which is most useful in most applications. Then you run the risk of kids being locked into learning something like VB.NET or C Sharp, which unfairly prejudices them into not looking beyond the kingdom of MSFT, rather than giving them the opportunity to learn something more universally friendly.

For the >1% of kids at school who genuinely want to learn to program, they will do so. Heck, I did. The kids that install Linux distros on their home computers, write Lisp scripts, argue on forums about whether vi or emacs is a better editor, the ones who modify their registries to hack Windows elements and actively look for ways to break software for fun. Those are the kids that will look to learn to program. Not the majority of kids who think IT lessons are an excuse to change the teacher's desktop background to a picture of a **** and put it on the classroom's LCD projector.
 
Why would you want them to learn programming, what programming are they going to lern, be horribly outdated by the time they leave school.
Schools teach core subjects, not some hugely minority skill, what else do you want to teach them? Every other proffesion?
parents need to encourage their kids to take up interests and not leave it all to the school.
 
Dolph said:
Until we can get kids to leave schools literate, numerate and with an understanding of how the world actual works (competition, success and failure etc), then diluting with additional skills is pointless.

Not to mention you need a good maths background to be a good programmer...
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Exactly. Programming is underpinned by maths. Most people suck at maths. Let's nail the basics before worrying about very narrow career paths.
 
Just to point out I sucked at maths and hated it, but I was quite happy programming.

Maths is certainly relevant and essential for games, analysis, control and financial software, but it doesn't cover everything.
Actually I was willing to learn whatever maths was required to do a programming task, when otherwise I wouldn't have been interested.
Logical thinking doesn't always need a great mathematical ability
 
NathanE said:
http://www.silicon.com/management/p...-on-way-to-boost-kids-coding-skills-39747953/

The gov is already setting up a CompSci GCSE.

It's critical that primary school kids get exposure to BASIC and GO/LOGO. That's what sows the right seeds.
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Was just about to post this, one of the few things I agree with in the government's edumacation policy. I'd naively assumed that the ICT courses at schools covered programming at a rudimentary level, was quite shocked to learn that it didn't.

Of course, the point of a CompSci GCSE isn't to teach kids how to be software developers in later life - it's to teach them how computers work at a lower level and hopefully spark some interest in technology amongst the entrepreneurial.
 
From a computer focused forum this thread has gone in the expected direction - although there have been one or two sensible answers.

Programming is a niche skill and the ability to programme is irrelevant to the vast majority of people in the world.

From a pure essential skills points in terms of what is truly needed in society its the understanding of the basic building blocks that can then be expanded out: Maths, English, Science, Cooking, Craft. From these fundamentals people can then expand into other more specialist areas.

The most critical element to establish in children is a sense of worth and purpose. Finding something that makes them realise they can be good at something. Currently education is focused on academic subjects and virtually nothing else. All that means is those kids who are not naturally academic are made to feel inferior and useless. Give them vocational subjects and you could end up with some brilliant carpenters, designers, farmers, chefs etc. Knowing that school and learning was a positive experience is critical.

Further you can introduce a lot of the academic elements into vocational subjects without removing the focus from the "fun" subject. Teaching kids maths through craft and design, teaching chemistry and biology through farming and cooking. Turning it round into a way that is understandable and useful for a child is far better than making them feel a failure.
 
We are far too soft on the core subjects, I feel that students should be forced to do at least one or two core subjects at A level. It sickens me that there are so many kids doing courses in subjects that have very bad job prospects.
 
Whilst I can understand where you are coming from (having spent many, many years coding myself).....

I really think there are numerous other (much more 'life-usable') things kids should be taught first.

1.) Basic Finance.
2.) Better English.
3.) More Science (especially Biology and Physics)
4.) How to communicate properly
5.) Basic life skills (such as how to fix simple car problems or use a drill, how to actually help a man who is having a heart attack, how to wire a plug or change a fuse etc)

I have seen so many kids these days (and when I say kids, I mean 16-25) - who just don't know the basic stuff that they really, really should know....and finding the answer on Youtube just doesn't count.

Unfortuately, during education - a school/teacher only has so many hours to cram everything into that little developing brain - and most of the time - the actual teacher / sylabus is already lacking in something.
 
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My friend who is now doing CompSci at Cam, taught himself from age 12. Absolutely incredible at it.

If the software engineers who make it in the UK aren't staying here, then UK companies aren't paying enough/ the opportunities aren't as good. That's a business fault not a educational fault.

Shame you weren't taught English when you were younger though, might have 'picked it up quicker'. Maybe we should focus on the core subjects more.

kd
 
Sounds pointless to me. Never have a I programmed, never have I needed to programme.

Optional is fine, mandatory, no.

IT should be mandatory (word, excel etc).
 
Only problem teaching kids programming from an early age, there will be more cheaters in games :D
 
Theophany said:
Where are you going to find enough able-minded programmers who:

a). are allowed to be near children
b). would WANT to go into a profession where there is no respect from kids
c). could agree upon a curriculum
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Is there some sort of correlation between child sex offenders and programmers I do not know about? Should I be worried about the results of the CRB check I have applied for? :D
 
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