Coding Classes For Kids: Hollow 'Learning'
Anukriti is a student who dabbles in writing when she finds time.
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By Anukriti Roy
First publised on 2020-12-08 07:21:14
About the Author
Anukriti is a student who dabbles in writing when she finds time.
View all posts by this Author
Are coding classes for kids aged 6 doing any real good to them? Apart from engaging them in a new and productive (there is difference of opinion about this too) activity that provides instant results in form of 'projects' and maybe interest them due to the kick they get in seeing results, there is nothing the kids are learning.
The reason is simple: they are too small to have any idea about the logic that goes behind the syntax of commands that help them create. These classes teach them to make projects with set commands without explaining to them the reason why those commands will work. It is like saying that the construction worker is being taught to be an engineer by being told to mix concrete, pour it at designated places, lay the bricks and build the structure.
Although Whitehat Jr pioneered these classes in India, a score of others, from India and abroad, have now jumped on the bandwagon. Karan Bajaj, the CEO of WhiteHat is of the opinion that they are helping kids develop a deep psychological feeling of being a builder or creator which will help them in tackling problems later in life. But aren't they being handed the solutions without the knowledge required to understand how they work? Why the set commands and no others will work? How they can identify errors and use a different set of commands to rectify them? This is a double-edged sword and when faced with 'projects' that they cannot complete, kids are more likely to be devastated and harbor a "deep psychological feeling" that they are incapable. Aren't these classes giving them hollow knowledge and filling them with a false sense of superiority?
Further, if developing logical and analytical skills is the main selling point, there are many other mathematical courses (Abacus, for instance) that are more useful and better suited for kids. Then, there are issues like kids spending more time before computer screens and giving a go-by to other activities. These classes are good as a gimmick, but if one thinks that kids will learn anything from them, one is greatly mistaken. Coding is a serious discipline and it cannot be allowed to become a gimmick.
