The 4C’s link to learning to code
Coding promotes and encourages the 4C’s – critical thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration.
The NEA (National Education Association, a US organisation) set out to identify the most critical skills necessary for success in the 21st century. They came up with the 4C’s. The US has built the 4C’s into their K-12 education system led by President Barack Obama’s call to ensure that every American student continues to be at the forefront of innovation in the global economy.
The way to learn any skill is to practice that skill and coding provides ample opportunities to practice the 4C’s.
Critical Thinking Critical thinking is the ability to evaluate, analyse and refine a process logically so that it can be successfully implemented with minimal unanticipated errors. The ability to think critically when coding is vital to writing a successful program. The ability to identify potential problems before they occur and put measures in place to eliminate those problem is essential. Coders will find themselves reviewing their code over and over in their minds, line by line, to ensure it works in all circumstances.
Creativity Coding is creativity. Coding programs and apps inspire imagination, design, art, self-expression and overall creativity.
Collaboration Coding is collaborative by nature, with teams of coders working on smaller aspects of a larger project to make it a reality. Even if you happen to be working on a small one-person project there are always issues encountered that require consultation with a peer, a mentor, or the tech community. In coding, no person is an island.
Communication Collaboration requires communication, verbal and written. You learn to express your thoughts, questions and opinions clearly, simply and unambiguously.
Our educational system has not started the process of reform to equip Barbadian students for the 21st century but by ensuring your children learn how to code you can be confident that they will develop and hone the necessary skills.