Since last November, the teaching team of the International School of Schaffhausen Primary has been learning basic coding skills. Every second Wednesday afternoon, a “programming language” lesson is on the program. This is done online, of course, as the programmers and instructors live in Singapore, Paris and Moscow. The first step is called “Train the Teacher” The Schaffhausen Institute of Technology (SIT) develops programs for schools around the world to train teachers in programming languages, who in turn incorporate this knowledge into their teaching and additional school offerings. As with its own university training program, SIT stands for interdisciplinary IT education that sees tranformative sciences such as quantum physics or artificial intelligence as drivers of change. For the “Train the Teacher” concept, the international school in Schaffhausen is the first school in Switzerland and the second in the world to undergo this program, which is in its final development phase. The questions and direct feedback given by the ISSH primary school team to the developers will be used to further develop the program. SIT will soon be able to offer this program to schools worldwide and in Switzerland.
Primary school is the right place to start coding
So the children at ISSH will soon be learning not just English or German, but a programming language. How can I tell a machine what to do? Besides the fun factor that such learning always involves, logical thinking is trained. The children learn that they need a plan to be able to program more complex steps. They need to break down the desired end result into individual components. Machines need clear ambiguous and systematic instructions to work. Only those who try things out and don’t get discouraged by failures will reach their goal. Teamwork also plays a major role here. Different skills are required, and only the sum of the individual ideas and solution approaches brings the group to its goal. This requires negotiation, leadership skills and, above all, perseverance.
Children who acquire digital skills such as learning a programming language at an early stage are well equipped for a world that is characterized by apps, electronics and smart technologies in all areas.
