Beyond the Hour of Code: Why is Learning to Code Important?

Hour of Code takes place once a year, and provides a great opportunity for schools across the country to devote time to coding in class. But beyond this one hour, how can teachers connect coding to daily learning? Science/social studies teacher Joan Andler is tackling this question with her students. She’s asking students to connect the skills learned in coding to problem solving in other areas. Learning to code is about learning to think creatively and solve problems. By tying this in to every day scenarios that students can relate to, Ms. Andler is helping them understand not only HOW to code, but WHY.

“I wanted to take that enthusiasm [from Hour of Code] and pull it into some other subjects. We looked at what we could be doing in terms of coding and make that much more real to the kids by asking them questions about how we could apply that kind of technology and that kind of learning to other things that are going on in their lives. That’s when it takes off. It doesn’t mean anything if it’s learned in isolation. The kids take off with it if they can make real-life applications to what they’re learning in the class.” — Joan Andler, science/social studies teacher at King Arts Lab School

Produced by Marco Torres, Director of Story at Digital Promise