The decision of Florida’s senators that allows high school students to study coding language as they would any foreign language is a premiere, and it has stirred quite a few debates on whether the coding courses rightfully match this curricular group or not.
The decision’s authors themselves are aware of their pioneering bill and proudly state that Florida re-affirms once more this way its technology leader status. Extremely optimist in what the possible under-funding issues are concerned (public schools fear not having the necessary funds for implementing the new curriculum element), the senators that carried the bill through (the source quotes Sen. Jeremy Ring, the bill’s author) maintain that districts would not suffer any financial impact.
Let’s consider the reality of studying coding language as one would a foreign language – and see the deriving issues and effects.
Approaching coding as a foreign language: issues
There are a few issues the bill mentioned above will have to meet and solve when transposed to the educational reality.
1. The conceptual and curricular issue
The assimilation does not result from the teaching/learning process itself. Instead it has to do with the curriculum structure, the need for available prepared coders as soon as possible, the push for qualified coders coming from tech giants, and a convenient similitude of terms (“language”).
The fact that the foreign languages curricular subgroup now includes coding has the effect of a computer sciences skill competing for class time with the said languages. A student might choose between coding and French, German or Spanish. Opponents argue that in no way coding is similar to a foreign language and that replacing one of the potential secondary languages with coding via a personal decision would be an unbalanced and unfair choice left for the students to make.
Coding is a skill, a necessary one, but nevertheless one pertaining to the computer sciences curricular subgroup – the critics say.
The conceptual substitution in this case looks like this: coding (a language used in giving commands to a machine) would have the potential to replace an active (as opposed to, let’s say, Latin, which is not in current use anymore) foreign language (a language used in communicating with other people). It’s a seemingly small step for the Florida education system, but it might be a huge significant step for the educational curriculum in general.
2. The financial issue
Although coding is just a part of the computer science discipline (along with creative thinking, problem solving and other formational elements), it still needs appropriate teaching technology and practice gear – technology that comes at certain costs for schools.
This down-to-earth reality that drills right onto school funding and capabilities broadens the gap between various state-funded schools, and between state schools and private schools. Most likely students that do not have access to basic current technology at home would hesitate in opting for coding (where they need available technology) against a foreign language that they can learn from their textbooks and associated materials. Alternatively, maybe passionate students will opt for coding classes at school in spite of having no technology (or limited, outdated tech) at home. Nevertheless, schools will have to make sure that the necessary IT materials are present and available for those who do choose to enroll coding classes.
*Prior to this moment, various sources debated whether computer educational programs that took place outside the schools (extra-curricular classes), allow a fair inclusion of all types of students or not. The Atlantic and USA Today discussed the term of “technical ghettos”.
Making sure all students benefit from a minimal mainstream education knowledge core moves toward solving the problem, although comes with its own risks.
While pushing the “coding for everyone” slogan, the decision-makers neglect to see how a universally available minimum knowledge package could still turn disadvantaged students into the bottom layer of the tech workforce; a financially challenged young coder is likely to start working as soon as possible, without pursuing more elaborate studies, thus forfeiting his or hers changes to higher education and failing to acquire more specialized skills.
Of course, the difference lays in the opportunity window: when computer skills came mainly through off-school programs, financially challenged children didn’t even have the opportunity to come into contact with coding, but in the situation where coding basics are part of the mainstream curriculum, the opportunity of discovering and developing their skills appears even for the more impoverished students. Whether they will take this further with the help of a grant, for example, or just earn their lives out of basic coding – this is another discussion.
3. The uneven standards issue
Previously to the Florida senators passing the SB-468 bill on coding as foreign language, the debates mentioned how colleges and universities outside of Florida might not recognize as valid the coding-related credits. Some counselors advised students to take both coding and a foreign language.
When considering this, the student’s choice seems to possess limited effects, and be rather constrained by other factors besides their desire to learn coding. Will the classes have all the necessary tech? Will the learning process be well structured and provide all the essential data? Will the credits acquired have value outside Florida or not? So many questions, and it’s too early for foreseeing the answers.
Passing this bill represents just the first step on the road to coding literacy and competences becoming the normal standard in an educational environment that produces future adults for a tech-infused world. The bill itself includes no funding, thus fueling the concerns for the financial burden it might bring to schools. Further amendments could solve this problem, when adopted (as promised).
A contemporaneous, but different move towards computer science support comes from Chicago; where the Chicago Public School Board of Education decided to mandatory require computer science skills for high-school graduation. The same driving factor stays behind the Chicago PBSBE as in the case of Florida’s decision – tech companies’ push for coding literacy as a high-school graduation skill.
Although the response is yet uneven and relatively weak, all signs point towards an essential educational reconfiguration that would include these crucial skills required further in the today’s students grownup career. It remains to be seen how will this be put into practice, in a flexible and unified (as long as standards are concerned) manner.
In the meantime, these first (perhaps wobbly) steps include pro-coding propaganda and testimonials – as you may see in this NPR material.
Huffington Post stated, “code is the new language of creation” – a language that should find its place into the schools of tomorrow. Do you agree with that?
