Kids Getting Head Start on Coding in Brooklyn Charter School
Computers are revolutionizing the way people live in almost every aspect of life. It makes sense, therefore, to give kids the tools they need to interact with and become an integral part of this brave new world we are inexorably heading towards. In most schools, kids are taught to read and write, and the beginning of math concepts, in first grade, and sometimes in pre-school. Computer languages, however, are usually introduced at a much older age.
At the New American Academy Charter School in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, kids are learning to code in kindergarten. One teacher at the school, Aditya Ralimane, said that this innovative program was developed to teach 5-year-olds coding because coding is as important today as reading and math, so why shouldn’t our children start young? He adds that in ten years from now coding will be everywhere, and its only right to give these kids a leg up on the future.
The technology teacher at the school who developed the curriculum incorporated a fun atmosphere and bright colors so the learning appeals to such young children. Plus, the program utilizes the open source program known as Scratch Junior to teach the skills to the students.