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8 April 2024
By Tayla Smith, Grade 3 teacher at Bellavista School
Technology is playing an increasingly important role in all areas of our lives. Over the last two decades, the use of sophisticated technology has become more and more common in the classroom. Children are increasingly using technology at home too. Naturally, technology is an increasingly important facet of 21st century education. In recognition of this, South African primary schools are beginning to prioritise the introduction of coding and robotics into their curriculums. Indeed, in 2022 the Department of Basic Education confirmed that it would be introducing coding and robotics into the school curriculum for Grades R to 3 this year.
While appreciating the necessity of this project, and notwithstanding the excitement it is being approached with, a big question on all stakeholders’ minds is whether South African schools are prepared, ready and able to take up the challenge and prepare learners to enter into and succeed in the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
One of the biggest challenges, of course, is the reality that nearly 1600 schools in South Africa are still without computer labs. This challenge, however, is not without answer. There are means to assist South African schools without full resources to ensure that their learners have full opportunity to embrace and thrive in digital learning. One of these means is unplugged coding.
Unplugged coding uses games and activities that can be done offline to teach children about the logical and problem-solving skills that are central to coding. These activities can be used to teach the basic concepts of coding in the classroom without the use of electronic technology. Instead, these activities use physical materials such as cards, blocks and puzzles.
“Unplugged” coding is a very effective and valuable alternative. There are many benefits and pedagogical reasons for introducing unplugged coding. These, among others, are:
Even schools that are equipped with the necessary infrastructure to support the introduction of coding and robotics will likely be using a combination of both unplugged and “plugged” coding. Unplugged coding, as an easily accessible and always available alternative to plugged coding, and particularly considering its importance, should not be overlooked by parents or teachers.
It will be valuable to allow children in grades R to 3 opportunities to interact with the world of coding and gain all the benefit that such an opportunity will offer. There are many amazing applications out there for children in Grades R to 3 to explore, that could ignite an otherwise untapped passion for coding. Some of these applications, together with their published write-ups are:
codeSpark Academy is an award-winning app that teaches kids how to code through a game-like interface. Children learn to code with lovable characters called The Foos.
Devices: (Andriod, iPhone, iPad)
Tynker uses code blocks to teach learners how to program through games and stories. With Tynker, children learn to code using visual code blocks that represent real programming concepts.
Devices: (Andriod, iPhone, iPad)
ScratchJr is a free coding app that enables young children (ages 5-7) to create their own interactive stories and games.
Devices: (Andriod, iPhone, iPad)
Swift Playgrounds is a revolutionary app for iPad and Mac created by Apple that makes it fun to learn and experiment through coding. SwiftPlayground requires no coding knowledge, so it’s perfect for students just starting out.
Devices: (iPhone, iPad)
While introducing children to coding at such a young age could seem a bit premature, these benefits of doing so will become apparent and equip children in their later years with the foundational knowledge they will need to succeed in the technology age we find ourselves in. For more information, visit www.bellavista.org.za
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