Despite popular belief, Computer Science isn’t just a bunch of nerds writing gobbledegook on their laptops. Of course, programming is a major part of any Computer Science course – it is the language through which we can put our ideas into practice and develop solutions. But the field of Computer Science is by no means defined by programming.
Computer Science is a way of thinking. It’s a way of looking at the world around you and breaking everything down to its fundamental building blocks. Rather than seeing a jumbled mess of disorganised systems and monolithic problems, a computer scientist sees a structured world, with problems that can often be broken down into very simple root causes.
Computer Science is a way of thinking
For example, in the late 19th century, US census results were taking so long to process that the 1890 census results would likely have been published after the 1900 census – by which time they’d be irrelevant. Whilst many looked at this as an impossible conundrum, Herman Hollerith saw a structured problem that needed breaking down and solving.
Hollerith decided that the solution was not more manpower, nor was it abandoning or totally reshaping the census – these were diversions not solutions. Instead, Hollerith broke down the problem to identify the root cause – humans are just too slow at manually compiling data. Therefore, he built a machine which would automate the compilation of gathering census results, speeding up the process by many years. In the end, he went away with this idea and formed the Tabulating Machine Company, which would go on to become International Business Machines (IBM), still one of the world’s largest tech firms.
Despite the lack of a computer’s existence, Hollerith was able to devise a computational solution to an otherwise impossible problem. The moral of the story is simple, Computer Science is not about the use of computers but about a method of thinking; a model for solving problems.
Back to education. This problem-solving model can be used in almost all academic fields, and in almost any career. In Maths, it can help students to focus on the mathematical element to a question and ignore the irrelevant real-world detail. In History, this thinking model will help students to draw logical conclusions based on sources. In, English, it will enable students to write well-structured essays which drill into the core meaning of any extract.
Likewise, in the ever-changing modern workplace, Computer Science is an increasingly valuable tool. Not only is programming one of the most important skills in countless industries, but computational thinking will improve people’s abilities in any number of ways. Got a logistics challenge? Write an algorithm and go from there. Need to cut costs? Use computational thinking to establish which expenses are critical and which aren’t. So many problems become simple when you are armed with the power of Computer Science.
Age is key
When you are a young child, your mind is like a sponge – it takes in absolutely everything. It must do, else most humans wouldn’t have survived more than a few years in ancient history. But as you grow, you lose this sponge-like quality and instead become more closed-minded. Whilst still able to learn, your mind has decided how it will operate, and you can only add to your abilities within the constraints of this unique learning method. Of course, you can still learn anything at any age, but it may require a lot more determination and outside-the-box thinking.
If you introduce the notions of algorithms, logic and programming to children who are 5-8 years old, they will encompass these techniques into their day-to-day thinking. It will become integrated in their minds, to apply to any number of problems they face throughout life. If you wait until they are 13, as most of the world’s schools do, they will of course be able to learn these techniques, but it will require much more motivation and inspiration – which sadly is not always there.
This leaves the majority of children uninterested in computer science and programming, with many believing they are simply not intelligent enough to succeed in the field. That is perhaps the greatest failure of our education system of this millennia.
These topics are not too advanced to teach children. Any process in life can be described by an algorithm; for instance walking into a lesson:
- Walk in the school gate
- Go around the main building
- Enter the door on your left
- Turn left and enter the door in front of you
- Sit down
Likewise, logic is not hard to teach to children. “I like apples” is the opposite of “I don’t like apples”. “He likes apples or he likes pears” means that he likes apples, pears or both. Granted, logic is a little more precise than the way we would normally think about these statements (this definition of ‘or’ often leads to confusion), but if taught in the right way it is not a complicated topic.
Programming is perhaps a tad more complicated, but if introduced in very small steps could still be taught in primary schools through programs like Scratch, with more able students potentially starting to have a go at Python.
Introducing programming
Of course, you cannot expect an 8-year-old to start programming in Java. The mind is a sponge, not a library. But you can start introducing very simple programs in Scratch, and get children to start exploring how these work.
By the age of 10 or 11, students now should have a couple of years’ experience of using Scratch and can hopefully put together some very simple games. Whilst continuing to use Scratch for more advanced projects, at this age they can be gently introduced to a language like Python, where they can use conditional statements, loops and functions.
As they grow, this can develop into multiple languages and some web design, before they choose their options and decide whether or not to continue. But even if they take Computer Science no further, they will have a strong grasp on the basics and will be able to use these skills throughout life.
Tools for life
In addition to the invaluable thinking techniques and problem-solving mindset that Computer Science gives students, there is another benefit. In learning Computer Science, students will come into contact with computers in so many more ways than they otherwise might.
They’ll have to deal with new data types, file formats and potentially even some console interaction. They’ll undoubtedly break something, and will have to work out how to fix it. They’ll have to use Google in ways most have never seen. They’ll realise the importance of good hardware and efficiency, all very important skills in the modern world.
Computer Science will teach students to see the world in a more logical, structured way. Problems that look unsolvable to our generation may just become possible to theirs. They’ll see computers as a great tool for solving problems and having fun, and will be far greater equipped to work with new technology in the workplace. And that is why Computer Science must be taught to all children from a young age.
Side note: If you or your child would like to study Computer Science, I am offering online tutoring in this field, as well as in tech skills & programming.