Kindergartners Learn to Code

On the edge of their seats, Kindergartners laughed as Academic Technologist Vicki Steinwurtzel made a character zig-zag, spin, and hop across the screen of her iPad. She was introducing Kindergarten students to basic concepts of coding with the ScratchJr app. With a foundation in gameplay, the app has a simple drag and drop interface for students to sequence a set of commands for a character. The app transforms what looks like play into coding by requiring students to organize commands in logical and methodical manner to achieve a specific result.

 

Even though Kindergartners were eager to begin building their sequence of commands, the transition from watching the demonstration to visualizing the first step was difficult. "Once they put the first movement code into place, they were on their way," says Vicki. Some students were intrigued by the ability to design unique environments and even add other characters to their digital canvas. Each element they added provided a new opportunity for students to work with binary numbers and problem solve. How far will this character move? Will these two characters interact, and how?

 

Learning to code this way "requires students to be able to read and follow directions, introduces them to conditionals to make their characters perform certain functions, and challenges them to debug commands that don't work," Vicki adds. She is excited to stretch her students logical, critical, and computational thinking skills, as each lesson within the app builds upon their previous knowledge.

 

By 3^rd grade students will be ready to advance to the web-based Scratch language, and eventually, they will learn to code in RobotC, which is a modified version of C++ designed for programing VEX robots. Vicki says it's never too early to introduce coding to kids. Coding is an important digital skill, but the critical thinking skills students learn through coding can be applied to math, science, and nearly every other discipline.

 

Be sure to check out the Coming Attractions booth at STEMFest and see how ScratchJr and Scratch are used throughout Primary School!