Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Coding classes are the new enrichment lessons

SINGAPORE - The word “coding” used to be reserved for computer geeks and Silicon Valley technology types. These days, you are likely to hear it bandied about among nine-year-olds, as coding enrichment courses and holiday camps are gaining popularity among parents in Singapore and around the world.

SINGAPORE - The word “coding” used to be reserved for computer geeks and Silicon Valley technology types. These days, you are likely to hear it bandied about among nine-year-olds, as coding enrichment courses and holiday camps are gaining popularity among parents in Singapore and around the world.

There are even computer programming courses designed for children as young as five. Six-year-old Sarah Tan, a student at The Odyssey Pre-School, has been attending coding classes at First Code Academy since September last year. She is learning the basics of creating games on a laptop, and says that she likes to “create characters and choose the different faces and clothes … (Although) the scripts are difficult to find and click”.

Her father Elvin Tan, a 40-year-old general manager at an education technology company, confesses that although sending Sarah to coding classes began as an experiment, “she is enjoying the process thus far, and that is all we as parents want for her — to have fun and to love the process of learning while, at the same time, become confident, highly expressive and creative, rather than have the sole focus be on grades or hardcore curriculum.”

He continued: “I believe that coding, when presented as play-making, can help develop Sarah’s interest in technology. Or at the very least, be less averse to the notion of creating and innovating using technology. There are many tools and facilities available to the next generation that were not present in the past, such as toys like LittleBits, Kano, Dash Dot, Microduino — just to name a few. More importantly, I also believe that coding is a skill that can help shape her logical and analytical thinking, while having the freedom to express and create fun objects such as games, cartoons and animations.”

The main hurdle for her was in learning how to use a laptop, as “most kids these days are more accustomed to touchscreens,” observed Tan.

First Code Academy was first launched in Hong Kong in 2013, and expanded to Singapore early last year. It was co-founded by Hong Kong native Michelle Sun, who had worked at a Silicon Valley start-up after attending a women-only coding boot camp at Hackbright Academy in San Francisco and discovering a passion for the tech industry.

The programming school has seen rapid growth in the past year, expanding from one classroom to the present set-up of five classrooms at its premises on the fourth level of Stamford Court. It offers a projects-based curriculum and small classroom sizes of four to eight students.

“Going to enrichment classes is common in many Asian cities. However, on top of enrichment classes, coding is always useful for children as it empowers them to command digital devices,” said Sun. “It is a powerful skill, especially with this generation of kids who interact with computers from a very young age. With coding, not only do they learn logical thinking and creative problem-solving skills, (they) also get to use these digital devices on a whole new level.”

First Code Academy uses a block-based programming tool named Scratch, which uses visuals and animations to teach young children the fundamentals of programming. It is a popular coding tool for young learners that is used in other coding schools, although First Code Academy also utilises newer teaching tools from the latest-funded Kickstarter programmes.

“We see coding as a general life skill that can help our children to be more future-ready. Every industry is getting disrupted by software, which means that when our children enter the work force after graduation, regardless of what industry they are in, they will work with software extensively,” said Sun, who believes that having coding skills gives children an advantage over their peers.

Concurring with this sentiment is Rachel Ee-Heilemann, a Singaporean who co-founded Koding Kreators, a coding-for-kids education hub based in Shanghai. A self-confessed “kiasu mum”, the idea for Koding Kreators was first started when she enrolled her son into a Minecraft coding camp in New York City, having failed to find one in Shanghai.

Said Ee-Heilemann: “I believe strongly that coding knowledge will be essential in the working world. At my age, it’s harder for me to learn new tricks, but for kids, it’s so easy to pick up these skills … One of (Singapore’s) main strengths as a country is our well-educated, literate, hard-working workforce. If we give kids coding knowledge now, we are arming them with one more useful skill that they can use in their work lives.”

The other two founders of Koding Kreators are a professor of robotics and animatronics at New York University Shanghai and a writing instructor. Koding Kreators is rolling out its pilot programme in August this year, with a two-week workshop aimed at children aged five to 10 years old. The company plans to roll out its programmes throughout Asia via strategic partnerships.

They will be unveiling the company’s proprietary coding learning tool, an interactive robot named Plobot that can teach preschoolers as young as five years old the basic logic of programming in a fun, accessible way. “(These kids) don’t need to stare at a screen when they are so young, and still, they can benefit fully from exploring how software works. What we look for in all these activities is to let their own talents spark. Kids love it without even noticing that they are learning,” added Ee-Heilemann.

Tech giant Paypal is offering a free three-day Girls In Tech coding camp this month here as part of its diversity initiatives. With the rising influence of movements such as Girls Who Code in the United States, there’s an increasing awareness globally on the need to close the gender gap in technology.

“As Singapore is moving towards being a Smart Nation, and more schools are offering computer programming courses, we’re glad to be able to introduce coding to young girls through Girls In Tech,” said Asmawati Othman, Risk APAC PMO manager, Global Risk Platform, PayPal and Singapore site leader for PayPal Unity. “Children who learn coding will be able to grow their problem-solving abilities, as the fundamental skills imparted allow them to reason and stretch their mental capabilities. Introducing coding to girls at a young age breaks existing stereotypes and exposes them to the world of tech, and adds to their education and career options.”

Jo James, a mother of two girls, Faith and Sasha Tan aged 13 and seven, respectively, agrees — though not without some reservation: “My daughters are always looking for challenging things to do, and coding definitely seems to fit that bill. I think learning computer code is like learning a new language — it empowers you and provides you with opportunities to share ideas with new communities of people … That said, I think the initial idea of it may still seem intimidating to a child, especially when faced with a screen full of tiny green characters. I think the main challenge would be keeping them motivated. If they already are keen on it, they’ll find a reason to push through any difficulty they encounter. But if they don’t see the relevance of code in their lives, then getting them to push through might be tougher.”

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.