A sound education is based upon teaching the correct lessons correctly. With that in mind, why is one of the most important skills in today’s work force - computer science - barely being taught in American high schools? This is a threat to the economy, and also an opportunity for educational technology companies.
First, the facts. Based on a survey by the Computer Science Teachers Association, I extrapolate that roughly 1 million high school students took a computer science course in 2009. Given that that there are 16.5 million high school students nation-wide, this is a paltry 6%. Foreign languages, on the other hand, had more than 7 million students- or 46% of the high school population - enrolled during the same period. This imbalance is the result of many factors. First, foreign languages are easy to teach, relatively. The material is stable; languages change over the years as new words and colloquialism are introduced but the overall fundamentals are the same. Programming languages, on the other hand, change rapidly. A core language can quickly be replaced; just look at the evolution from COBOL to the Cs to Ruby. As a result, it is difficult to find competent instructors, because those with skills are gainfully employed and doing what they love to do: code. Also, computer science courses require a larger budget; up-to-date hardware and software is required, whereas textbook and flashcards go a long way in foreign language instruction. No Child Left Behind is also a factor. NCLB does not consider computer science a core course, so schools marginalize CS courses and instead invest time, energy and money into general math and reading. Creating an army Our nation needs to produce an army of students than can write more than “Hello World.” Just like in the past few decades, the next innovations will be created line-by-line of code. And though every student cannot be the next Wozniak, Gates, Brin or Zuckerberg, understanding basic architecture and programming leads to better employment opportunities. To prove this, I went to Monster.com and typed in “French Language,” “German Language” and “English Literature” into the skills keyword search. French returned 174 jobs, followed by German at 127 and English Literature at 7....yes, seven. I did the same for Java, C++, .Net and Python. Every search returned “1000+” jobs. Creating this army will require a non-traditional pedagogy. As previously mentioned, it is difficult to find competent teachers knowledgeable about the ever-changing landscape of computer science. Thus, the old “one-one-thirty” model (1 teacher, 1 classroom, 30 students) will not work effectively on a large scale. Educational software platforms and alternative distribution methods, therefore, are the answer. There are four basic approaches that companies are using to teach software development:
One challenge, however, will be integrating an in-person instructor. School districts will be uncomfortable giving students course credit based on an instructor sitting in a remote location outside of the District’s payroll and policies and procedures. Ideally, in-person teachers will play the role of moderator and supporter; in other words they will not teach complex coding but rather ensure that students are progressing and getting the answers they need. To achieve this, vendors will need to develop a back-end system for teachers to track and assist students. In summary, this is an enormous opportunity for the nation to advance scholastically and economically, as well as for education technology companies to prosper. Success will be predicated on companies developing solutions that are flexible enough to change with the technology landscape, pedagogically effective, and designed to meet the stringent standards of school administrations. Lastly, success depends on politicians and school administrators accepting non-traditional teaching solutions. Given the stakes, they should find the will.
2 Comments
12/21/2012 01:25:57 pm
Failing educative documents purchase declining marks.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
JONATHAN STEIMAN
I'm the Founder and CEO of Peak Support. This blog is my take on early-stage companies and innovation. Every so often, there may be a post about culture, networking, family -- you name it. After all, what is a blog if it isn't a tad bit unstructured.
Archives
December 2016
Categories
All
|