Coding is an in-demand skill and enrolling your child in a computer coding class can empower them well into the future. When it comes to teaching children how to code, not all methods are created equal. Children learn best when they are engaged in fun and exciting activities. Sticking to traditional teaching methods, like lectures and textbook readings, doesn’t always work best for technical subjects like coding.
That is why ASC A+ uses a project-based approach to teaching children how to code. In our coding classes, children complete fun and entertaining projects using code. Here’s why project-based learning is such an effective way of teaching.
If you are unfamiliar with coding, you may assume that it is a rather solitary activity. Images in movies and television shows, for example, tend to depict coders as sitting alone in dark rooms typing frantically away at their keyboards. However, the truth could not be any further from that stereotype.
In fact, coding is a highly collaborative process, with coders regularly building off of the work of others and working together to create new websites, software, and applications. While it can be difficult for children to see this collaborative aspect of coding through traditional classroom instruction, it becomes much clearer with a project-based approach. By working with other students in class on a project, your child will develop collaboration skills while also learning new tech skills.
With project-based coding, children don’t learn about coding as an abstract concept. Instead, they see for themselves how coding skills can solve real and well-defined problems. By using code to complete a project, your child will have a better understanding of how computer coding can be applied to real-world situations.
With the demand for computer skills so high, being able to use coding to create a project gives your child an advantage in the new economy. Some of the highest-paying jobs involve computer science and there is expected to be a severe shortage of workers with the skills necessary to fill those jobs. By understanding the practical uses of coding through project-based learning in computer coding classes, your child will be well prepared for whatever future career path they may choose. They may even discover through project-based learning that they have a passion for coding and decide to pursue computer science in college and beyond.
Last but certainly not least, projects make learning how to code far more fun and interactive. In ASC A+’s summer coding classes, coding projects like “Prehistoric Journey” and “Travel to the Earth’s Center” are designed to engage your child’s attention and imagination. When your child is actively engaged in a project because it is entertaining, they are far more likely to retain what they are learning.
Projects are an active form of learning where students get to see how their new skills lead to something concrete, like a video game, that they can take pride in. In contrast, with passive learning, such as reading from a textbook or listening to a lecture, your child is likely retaining less of the educational material than they would through a project-based course.
Are you interested in coding classes for your child?
Contact ASC A+ to learn about our coding program in Boston.