> We have enough trouble raising English literacy rates, let alone increasing basic computer literacy: the ability to
effectively use computers to, say, access programs or log
onto the internet. Throwing coding literacy into the mix
means further divvying up scarce resources.
This puts into words my feelings towards this techno-movement of "teaching everyone to code". Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against increasing computer literacy; with technology so deeply embedded in our modern industrial society, the fact that the majority of our citizenry have little understanding about how these machines work is very real cause for concern. However, I really don't think it's what we should be concerned about right now.
I used to tutor at at an after-school program in a neighborhood in Boston called Bowdoin-Geneva. It has one of the [highest crime rates] (http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/specials/68blocks) in the state of Massachusetts. The high school graduation rate in that region is abysmal, and of the ones who enroll at four year universities, the percentage of students that actually complete their degree is even worse. It's also a neighborhood with a large population of Cape-Verdean immigrants, and many of these immigrant families send their children to after-school programs, including the one I was at. I was mainly involved with the 7th grade classes, and the environment was often very chaotic. I couldn't really blame them - I mean, it was "after-school". But in interacting with these kids, and working alongside them on their homework, what struck me wasn't so much the fact that they lacked even the most basic knowledge of English and Arithmetic (I knew the stats), but how incredibly curious and energized they were as humans, and yet how utterly pointless and enervating they found school to be. For most of these kids, fun was anything but school. School was like a prison, and this program was a brief escape. It was where they could get help on their dreaded assignments, and then go play for the rest of the day.
Unfortunately, that sentiment isn't endemic to Bowdoin-Geneva. And that, to me, speaks volumes about what's really wrong with public education. It's not just the curriculum (more coding?), it's school. The teachers, the administrators, the culture. Who are we paying to teach? Who are we paying to lead the organizations that build our future? What do we have to do so that kids actually want to learn for learning sake? It's a challenge, and there's no one answer. But adding more features to a broken product is not the solution.
This puts into words my feelings towards this techno-movement of "teaching everyone to code". Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against increasing computer literacy; with technology so deeply embedded in our modern industrial society, the fact that the majority of our citizenry have little understanding about how these machines work is very real cause for concern. However, I really don't think it's what we should be concerned about right now.
I used to tutor at at an after-school program in a neighborhood in Boston called Bowdoin-Geneva. It has one of the [highest crime rates] (http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/specials/68blocks) in the state of Massachusetts. The high school graduation rate in that region is abysmal, and of the ones who enroll at four year universities, the percentage of students that actually complete their degree is even worse. It's also a neighborhood with a large population of Cape-Verdean immigrants, and many of these immigrant families send their children to after-school programs, including the one I was at. I was mainly involved with the 7th grade classes, and the environment was often very chaotic. I couldn't really blame them - I mean, it was "after-school". But in interacting with these kids, and working alongside them on their homework, what struck me wasn't so much the fact that they lacked even the most basic knowledge of English and Arithmetic (I knew the stats), but how incredibly curious and energized they were as humans, and yet how utterly pointless and enervating they found school to be. For most of these kids, fun was anything but school. School was like a prison, and this program was a brief escape. It was where they could get help on their dreaded assignments, and then go play for the rest of the day.
Unfortunately, that sentiment isn't endemic to Bowdoin-Geneva. And that, to me, speaks volumes about what's really wrong with public education. It's not just the curriculum (more coding?), it's school. The teachers, the administrators, the culture. Who are we paying to teach? Who are we paying to lead the organizations that build our future? What do we have to do so that kids actually want to learn for learning sake? It's a challenge, and there's no one answer. But adding more features to a broken product is not the solution.