If you've ever been left baffled after your child has come home from school talking about coding then you're not alone.
It's an addition to the curriculum that's only been around a few years, but it turns out there’s way more to learning code than just a bunch of confusing numbers.
A study by OKdo has shown that children who have been taught computer science skills are more likely to be better at maths, problem solving, creative thinking, teamwork and even time management.
Maths is often seen as a difficult, Marmite subject in schools, and the more that kids can do to help develop their skills and understanding - the better.
In this case, it’s having a bash at computer science which is defined as ‘the study of algorithmic processes, computational machines and computation itself' - it's a mouthful, but it's actually very beneficial.
The full study called ‘Broader Benefits of Leading to Code’ by OKdo features surveys run with nearly 7,000 UK parents who have children aged five to 16, as well as active primary and secondary school teachers.
It revealed that 96 per cent of teachers have seen first-hand evidence that educating children in computer science helps develop other useful skills, alongside general IT abilities.
On top of this, 82 per cent of teachers said that it helps enhance a child's ability to problem solve, 68 per cent said it would help develop mathematical skills and 60 per cent feel it improves a child’s ability to think creatively.
The assessments were also confirmed by proud parents, who ranked their child’s maths, writing, creative thinking, communication and teamwork ability as ‘above average for their age’ after learning coding, versus parents whose children hadn’t delved into the world of computer science just yet.
Before parents think twice about computer science education, there’s way more to it than just codes.
The study shows that it can enhance maths skills and help children get a lot more creative with new ideas. It also involves a lot of problem solving through analysing and addressing complex challenges, communication skills (since it’s pretty much a new language) and plenty of teamwork.
Clare Ford, expert educator and founder at SwitchedON! said: “Computer science education is fabulous for 'starting with the end in mind' and then reverse engineering - taking logical steps, one at a time, to create a bigger picture. This approach builds a growth mindset.”
Richard Curtin, SVP of technology at OKdo added: “We’ve long believed that computer science education gives kids more than just the obvious IT skills – it’s also helping children to improve their confidence in teamwork, problem-solving, communication and much more.
“It’s also clearly very effective at improving mathematics skills – 81 per cent of the maths teachers we spoke to say they’ve seen first-hand that coding in particular helps numerical competence too."
