
I’m a Developer. I Won’t Teach My Kids to Code, and Neither Should You - betolink
https://slate.com/human-interest/2018/12/against-teaching-kids-to-code-creativity-problem-solving.html
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wegs
This is mostly obnoxious. Coding is a great way to build logical thinking,
mathematical maturity, and creativity.

Perhaps OP is confusing teaching syntax with teaching coding. At least on my
end working with kids, it got creative almost immediately, and mathematical
not long there-after.

It's fun.

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Darmody
Teaching them to code means teaching them to solve problems. It helps greatly
their development and their thinking.

Before you code you think about what you need to solve. When you write the
code, you think about the potential outcomes of the line/snippet you're
writing.

I think that's a skill that is worth having.

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karmakaze
I would add, that we should teach kids the modern version of the lemonade
stand, which can be a the classic lemonade stand, but also add more bits of
advertising, product differentiation, marketing, etc for something that isn't
necessarily lemonade but already of interest to the child. Coding isn't the
important thing as it is identifying characteristics of it and presenting them
to others. It would be fun to make a website together with them for their
friends to use. They would provide the ideas and the adult would do the
coding.

What's better than teaching your kids to code? Teach them to lead with vision
and ideas. Let the other 99% of kids become coders.

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gabrielsroka
Slightly off topic, but I'm reading this on Brave for Android with an ad
blocker. The site manages to show an ad. No big deal. The site also hijacks my
back button. When I try to come back here, it says please don't go, read some
more stuff.

Perhaps someone should teach that web developer how websites and browsers are
supposed to work.

Good thing Brave allows me to block JavaScript, and a little ironic given that
Brave was founded by Brendan Eich, creator of JavaScript. Genie, back in
bottle.

I'll just add Slate to the list of sites I don't visit. Surfing on my PC has
become obnoxious due the JS (ads?) spinning up my CPU fan to 100%.

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maderfarker3
I used Bromite (another fork of Chrome mobile) and had non of the issues you
mentioned.

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gabrielsroka
Interesting. I can't always repro. Maybe it depends on the ad.

Is Bromite available on Google Play?

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Traubenfuchs
Teaching children "coding" is as useful as teaching them any other trade, like
carpentry. Something that can be a hobby, side business or become a real
occupation. But it's absolutely non essential. Most people will never even
gain an ounce of understanding for any aspect of software development and THAT
IS OK.

I would argue that the majority of people that are considered successful do
not know how to code. Also, responsible parents do not want to let their
children become software developers just like they generally don't want them
to become prostitutes and drug dealers.

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FiberBundle
I highly disagree with this. Programming, if taught correctly, teaches kids
how to think, similarly as to how math does. In my opinion people in most
professions would benefit tremendously from being able to reason correctly
deductively and from knowing how to approach complex problems, which are
skills that a good programming education will give you.

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silveroriole
Does it really? I’ve worked with good programmers who will look thick as two
short planks if you ask them to solve a maths problem, summarise a science
article, rebut a philosophical argument, analyse a novel’s structure, figure
out an unknown word’s meaning, etc etc. We all know STEM people who seem
bafflingly stupid outside of their chosen specialties. Those who have well-
rounded educations more often seem more smart and able to reason than people
whose only tool is the rigid logic of programming/math. I don’t think STEM is
an automatic pathway to above average smarts.

~~~
FiberBundle
That is very much an over-generalization and dramatization. While there
certainly are people who fit your description, not all people with math or CS
backgrounds fit into that category. Also the existence of such people says
nothing about the potential benefits of programming for people with different
backgrounds. I didn't day that everybody's only tool should be the rigid logic
of programming/math, but merely that learning those skills would probably
complement most people's skill set nicely.

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avmich
I'm sceptical about this article. I think author contradicts himself at a
time, and certain ideas aren't well presented (like, coding is not syntax,
unless we disagree on definition of "coding"). While at the end author talk
about good values, somehow the subject is viewed in harsh light.

Coding, like reading, shouldn't be forced blindly. But that doesn't mean
parents, who're literate, shouldn't be also familiar with code.

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YeGoblynQueenne
More to the point, if every child learns to code, when they all grow up,
coding will not be such a useful skill to have. Just like reading and writing.
Of course you need to know how to read and write, but reading and writing is
such a common skill nowadays that it's not something that you can realy on for
job security.

That's not an argument against teaching kids to code- quite the contrary. You
don't want your kid to be the odd one out, that doesn't know how to do what
all the other kids know (to a greater or lesser extent). But we should maybe
rethink the degree to which learning how to code as a child right now will
ensure one can make their living coding in the future.

~~~
AlchemistCamp
I can think of few skills that do more for your career than excellent writing.

~~~
YeGoblynQueenne
Unfortunately, that's not an absolute. I've often been told to basically dumb
down my writing in my papers because reviewers who are not native English
speakers will not understand what I'm trying to say and will feel frustrated.
And you don't want to frustrate reviewers...

For example, I once used the plural "lemmata" for "lemma". That is correct
English, "lemma, lemmata", although it's much more common to use the
Anglicised form "lemmas" (as, e.g. in formulae/formulas). I've also had
colleagues "correct" my grammar when I've used expressions like "Absent X, Y
occurs" or "X need not be Y", etc.

Sometimes, "excellent" writing is not the goal; writing that gets the point
across, is. Much like code, indeed.

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mewpmewp2
This seems like a clickbait title. Author makes the coding to be some sort of
strawman to mean just learning the syntax and then attacks upon it just so he
can have a controversial title, but not wrong at the same time.

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manishsharan
This article is utter drivel and full of contradictions. This guy claims to be
a developer and he seems to think its all about syntax. He thinks problem
solving is alien to coding.

I pity the fool who hired this developer.

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7532yahoogmail
The article is junk. Nebulous blather ... Something which software unlike
math, physics, Chem, EE, Chem Eng I think tolerates too much.

We could restate title as: "I'm _x_ and won't teach my kids to _x_ and niether
should you"

where x is anything more complicated that cleaning a room:

\- gardening

\- writing a paper

\- interpersonal skills

\- etc

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unkiwii
I'm a Developer. I will teach my kids to code, not just the syntax of a
specific language. There's a big difference. "To code" is language agnostic.
That's were the important things like logical thinking and problem solving
skills are.

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theandrewbailey
I agree that "coding" shouldn't be mandatory, but would the author still
refuse to teach it if his kid expressed interest in the field?

