New programs help teach kids to code

Since the late 1970s, The International School has taught kids to code at the K-8 grade level. Back in those days the Apple II, a monochrome screen, and the Logo programming language were the tools of choice. Kids enjoy learning computer science and today our computer science course is a part of our core curriculum for all children in K-8 grade.

It is great to see new organizations and tools being created to help teachers, parents and schools. Parents can now gain access to programming resources at Tynker.com and Scratch.mit.edu. These programs and new versions of Logo provide an excellent way of turning a classroom into a field of investigation in Science, Technology and Mathematics.

Kids love to learn how to code.

I have taught kids Computer Science for the past twenty years. By using these new programming environments even our youngest students now have more opportunity to explore very sophisticated loops and algorithms in an enjoyable way. This is possible because of the easy user interface offered in Tynker and Scratch. When you combine these tools and mix them into a discovery learning environment the kids not only make surprising discoveries but enjoy the process of learning. These tools are providing new opportunities for kids to discover advanced concepts in Computer Science and Mathematics.

To find out more you can follow me on Twitter @chipsensei. Parents are invited to learn more about how to teach their children math and computer science by attending our “How to Multiply Your Baby’s Intelligence” course.

Call (215)-233-2050 or Toll-Free: 1-800-344-6684 or contact htm_registrar@iahp.org for more information about the course.