2 Reasons Why The "Coding In School" Movement Is Misguided And Needs To Be Replaced With This ...
I originally wrote this article in 2016 — perhaps during the peak of the "Coding In School" movement. Seven years before the recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence (ChatGPT, Bard, Bing, etc). Some believe that AI is going to eliminate most programming jobs in the coming years. Perhaps the time has come to refocus this energy.
There has been a big movement these past years to encourage more computer programming (coding) in schools ... for all students, regardless of their predisposition.
While the theory and motivation behind this movement are good, the execution is misguided. Here's why:
- Very few people will ever be suited to a career in programming. Coding is hard. Your brain has to be wired a certain way to be good at it, and to enjoy sitting at a computer for hours on end. This is a very small (tiny) percentage of the population. I have interviewed hundreds of people who formally studied coding in high school and college and it's quite apparent that most will never have a career in coding.
- For most people, coding will be too challenging and/or boring. This will immediately discourage them from doing it and will alienate them from the other good things related to coding that they could have been excited about.
Yes, I do understand that the "coding in schools" movement is not necessarily about creating career programmers. And for clarity, I'm not talking about coding courses that students choose to take on their own — they are still needed for students who self-identify this interest. I'm only talking about the movement to get everyone to experience coding.
Proponents say that our world is driven by code, so it makes sense for everyone to know how it works, even if just the basics. And, it will help fill the ever-increasing job demand for such skills (Wait! 2023 news update — AI has other plans about such jobs).
They will add that coding also builds focus, logic skills, problem-solving skills, teamwork, and more. And, I agree with them. I agree with all of it. But, they are going about it the wrong way.
I'll reveal the right way to do it in a moment, but first let me say that I don't hold these views because I'm some type of technophobe or luddite. Quite the opposite, in fact.
I have a 40-year programming background, having started with Basic on my Vic-20 when I was probably 10 years old. I can fully appreciate the value of learning to code at a young age and how it can mold a young mind. I'm a programmer, software designer, and entrepreneur who hires and works with programmers (and many other types of knowledge workers) on a daily basis.
I get it. I support it.
But, not in the way most people do, because of the reasons I outlined above. My thinking is further influenced by 25 years of deep experience designing and selling highly-complex educational products, while trying to understand what motivates and enables people to learn quickly.
What we really need to be teaching in schools is product design and commercialization.
Here's why:
- Everyone is touched by the process in some way, mostly as consumers. This provides real-world context for learners. And, if you prefer fantasy worlds, that works too.
- The process has a role for everyone. If you don't like coding or technology, maybe you will like graphic design, or packaging design, or photography, or video production, or writing, or acting, or research, or marketing, or selling, or ... you name it. Product design and commercialization has it all.
The key is to create awareness of the entire process (not just coding), so that the learner can self-identify with the role that is most personally engaging.
Once you have a learner engaged and motivated to discover more and do more, you've won. We've won. Now, all you have to do is point them in the right direction to exercise that motivation.
I have come to realize that much of the time and energy invested in formal education goes towards extorting learners to learn.
Yup, extortion. You better learn this because it will be on the test! If you fail the course, you will be held back and not progress with your friends. You will lose your tuition money. Your family will be disappointed. You won't get a good job. It's fear-based education.
We should not force coding on students in a way that they will fear it, and I can pretty well guarantee you that many will fear it ... including those who could possibly love it someday.
We have to build a larger funnel of engaged students by introducing them to the entire process from idea, to design, to production, and commercialization, many of which will gravitate towards coding.
Ultimately, this approach lays the foundation of entrepreneurship and the entrepreneurial mindset ... and may just be the most meaningful gift we can give to our students.
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I'm Mathew Georghiou and I write about how games are transforming education and learning. I also share my experience as an entrepreneur inventing products and designing educational resources used by millions around the world. More about me at Georghiou.com