[Mandatory for elementary school] What is programming education? Its aims and problems | ZUU online
From 2020, elementary school programming education has become compulsory. What positive effects does programming education have on children? Not only can you work as a school education, but you can also do programming education at home. This article introduces the outline of programming education and how to approach it at school and at home, and also explores the aims and problems of programming education.
table of contents
- 1. What is compulsory programming education?
- 2. Features of compulsory (implementation) programming education in elementary, junior high and high schools
- 3. Problems of programming education
- 4. [Can be done at home] A method of programming education to improve children's abilities
- 5. Teaching materials used in programming education
- 6. Fast-growing programming education market and business opportunities
- Summary: The era of 100 million total programming thinking has arrived.Business people are also essential skills
1. What is compulsory programming education?
(Image = PXITA)From 2020 to 2022, compulsory programming education will start gradually in elementary and junior high schools and high schools. The definition of programming itself is "to create and give a cohesive processing procedure to make a computer perform the intended operation" (IT Glossary). However, according to the Ministry of Education, the purpose of programming education is not to learn coding (a description method using a programming language).
Although the definition of programming education is not simple in this way, it can be said that it is a requirement of the times to develop IT literacy from children as well as English education.
First, let's check the outline of programming education and the aim of introduction.
Programming education is "a timeless universal requirement for any profession in the future, while giving children the experience of being able to instruct computers to do what they want. "What fosters" programming thinking "as a force" (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology view).
Thinking ability that allows you to use a computer to give instructions and obtain the desired results, instead of simply using a computer to search the Internet for information or listen to music using music software. The purpose of programming education is to cultivate "programming thinking".
It should be noted that although programming education is learned in elementary school, there is no specialized subject called "programming". Also, programming does not always mean using a personal computer. It is said that some classes do not use a computer until junior high school.
Programming thinking is "what kind of combination of movements is necessary to realize the series of activities that I intend, and how should I combine the symbols corresponding to each movement?" The ability to logically think about how to improve the combination of symbols to get closer to the intended activity "(Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology view).
"Combination of movements" means, for example, when instructing a robot to make rice balls, put the rice balls on a plate, and bring them to a table, simply give the command "make rice balls". Then I will continue to make rice balls forever.
It is good to think that there is no specification of the number such as "make 3". By instructing the number to make, the robot can "make three rice balls, put them on a plate, and carry them to the table." It can be said that programming thinking is to construct the correct instructions and order to achieve the purpose in this way.
The purpose of making programming education compulsory is not to acquire practical skills, but to develop children's thinking ability.
In modern society, there are various mechanisms for moving people and things, and computers are used in many of them. The purpose of programming education is to first learn that computers make life convenient, and then use technology to foster an attitude of creating a better society.
At the same time, there is also the aim of making the learning of each subject such as math and science more reliable by using programming education.
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology cites the following three goals for programming education in elementary schools.
▽ Aim of programming education in elementary school set by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology ・ To foster "programming thinking".・ To be aware of the role of programs and information technology in society, and to develop an attitude of trying to build a better society by making good use of them.・ When implementing in each subject, "make learning in the subject more reliable".
Image quote: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology training materials on elementary school programming education
Through programming education, it is possible to learn that computers are being used in our daily lives and to acquire the attitude of utilizing computers in our daily lives and society. It also aims to acquire not only basic "programming thinking" but also step-by-step thinking (logical thinking) for problem solving.
2. Features of compulsory (implementation) programming education in elementary, junior high and high schools
What are the characteristics of the compulsory programming education that started in 2020? Let's take a look at the content of programming education at each stage and the status of efforts being made at school educational institutions.
The table below shows the timing and main contents of programming education in elementary and junior high schools and high schools. Especially in high school, "Information I" is a compulsory subject, and it seems that attention will increase.
▽ Timing and contents of programming education in elementary, junior high and high schools
| Start year | Main contents | |
|---|---|---|
| primary school | 2020 | Incorporate programming elements into existing subjects such as math and science to cultivate programming thinking |
| junior high school | 2021 | Learn to interact with interactive content, where you work on your computer to get a response, rather than using it passively |
| high school | 2022 | From 2022, "Information I" will be a compulsory subject.Understand the mechanism by which information is processed, and acquire information utilization ability and IT literacy to discover and solve problems. |
As an example of the programming education efforts of school educational institutions, we will introduce the learning activity "Let's think about ways to use electricity without waste" jointly undertaken by Yokohama City Shirahata Elementary School and Kokugakuin University. This is a unique activity jointly conducted by an elementary school and a university, while there are many cases in which school educational institutions and private companies work together (such as Sekisui House cooperating in learning about homes).
▽ Let's think about ways to use electricity without waste (Yokohama City Shirahata Elementary School)
Reference: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology "Programming Education Portal Centered on Elementary Schools"The points of learning by this learning instruction plan are "Understanding that electricity can be produced and stored", "Understanding that stored electricity can be used", "Electricity is light, sound, heat, etc." "Knowing that it is converted into exercise and is being used in various ways" "Thinking about ways to use electricity without waste". It will be a very meaningful learning time if children understand the mechanism of electricity through learning activities and raise their awareness of saving electricity.
▽ "Let's think about ways to use electricity without waste" Learning guidance plan
Reference: Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology "Programming Education Portal Centered on Elementary Schools"3. Problems of programming education
Not only the positive side of programming education, but also the problems are pointed out. Let's sort out the problems of programming education at school and programming education as a lesson.
One of the problems that makes programming education compulsory in schools is the lack of skilled teachers. The teacher who teaches is not a teacher who specializes in programming, but a general teacher who also teaches other subjects. There was news that they had to take training to teach programming and that there was a shortage of teachers at the start of April 2020.
Amid lack of training environment and information related to teachers' programming education, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, in collaboration with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, launched a site called "Elementary School-Centered Programming Education Portal" introduced in the previous case study. It has been opened and has posted examples of elementary school programming education.
At school sites, an environment where each person can use a computer or tablet has been established, but in depopulated areas, there are schools with a small number of teachers and students, and there is concern that a similar environment will be created. Nationwide environment improvement will be an issue in the future.
How about programming education as a lesson? There are many "programming classes" all over the country, but they tend to place too much emphasis on programming skills. Even if you learn only programming techniques, you may not be able to acquire creativity and you may be able to program only what you are instructed to do. In order to utilize it in future work, including programmers, not only programming knowledge but also planning, design, and design skills are required.
In addition, many instructors in programming classes are engineers, and even if they have high programming skills, they do not necessarily have high teaching skills like school teachers. The question is whether you can teach to motivate your child or if you can communicate well. It can also be said that there is a concern that the content of the lecture may deviate from the intention of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology because the teaching side is not a teacher.
4. [Can be done at home] A method of programming education to improve children's abilities
Programming education can also be done at home. In order to provide programming education to improve children's abilities, it is important to face children while paying attention to the following four points.
Creating a home environment is important for growing a child who can adapt to the IT environment and technology. Nowadays, there is one personal computer per person. Correspondence education is also becoming more common using tablets. At first, it is a good idea to share a personal computer at home so that you can learn and get used to the basic operations together. If a child can operate it by himself, it is important to consider it as an investment in the future and give him a dedicated computer or tablet to prepare the IT environment.
With the compulsory programming education, more and more families are choosing programming education as a lesson. be. For example, game-related lessons such as "Go", "Shogi", and "Chess" have a bargain with the opponent, and you can develop a logical thinking ability of how to attack and how to defend. Especially in shogi, the success of Souta Fujii's four crowns (as of November 13, 2021) is increasing the recognition that it is useful for developing logical thinking ability.
In addition, "robot classrooms" where you can learn programming by making robots and "painting classrooms" that foster the ability to see things correctly and creativity are said to be useful for the growth of logical thinking. Even if it is not programming education itself, it may be considered as a lesson to develop the ability to think.
The environment is important for education. Since programming education aims to cultivate logical thinking, it is not enough to just make use of the given information. By thinking about how to solve the presented problems and getting into the habit of devising ways to improve them in a better direction, you will acquire logical thinking.
Until you get used to it, it's a good idea for parents to think together and share their opinions. The important thing is to create an environment where children can think and devise on a daily basis.
The important thing in raising a child is to grow up what you are interested in. Artists and athletes have been interested in it since they were young, and in some cases parents have enthusiastically supported their children's talents. If a child is interested in programming at home, it is also an important role for parents to support them so that they can develop their talents.
5. Teaching materials used in programming education
To receive programming education, it is necessary to use suitable teaching materials. Here, we will introduce typical teaching materials for elementary school students by type.
-Examples of teaching materials used in programming education 1: mBlock Robot-type learning materials that can be programmed into robot teaching materials. By combining with the company's robot kit "Mbot", you can make a robot that actually moves. It is also possible to build programming to control the movement of the robot. Since the visual language is used when programming, even elementary school students can easily operate it.
See also: makeblock | mBlock・ Example of teaching materials used in programming education 2: Game-based learning materials that combine educational version of Minecraft games and education. This is an educational version of the game "Minecraft" that builds a unique world by combining blocks one by one. By programming in the game in advance, you can move the character freely. In the game, you can learn how to collaborate with others because you build the world in collaboration with your classmates. Since it is a game-based teaching material, it can be said that it is easy for elementary school students to get used to.
Reference: MINECRAFT EDUCATION EDITION-Example of teaching material used in programming education 3: Scratch A visual language type teaching material that creates a program by connecting blocks on the screen. The program is a mechanism to move the character on the screen by creating a program by combining blocks such as "move 10 steps" and "wait for 1 second" prepared in advance on the screen. You can easily "try and error" to modify and execute the program. Once you learn the basics of moving characters, you will be able to create games and quizzes based on your child's free ideas.
Reference: SCRATCH6. Fast-growing programming education market and business opportunities
The compulsory programming education also creates business opportunities. According to the "2021 Programming Education Market Research for Children" jointly conducted by GMO Media's programming education portal site "Koeteco by GMO" and Funai Research Institute, the market size of programming education in 2021 is 17,579 million. In yen, it has increased by 125% compared to 13,996 million yen in the previous year. Even after surpassing 10 billion yen for the first time at about 11.4 billion yen in 2019, the trend of expansion has continued steadily.
▽ The size of the programming education market for children
Reference: GMO INTERNET GROUP Programming Education Portal "Koeteko by GMO" x Funai Consulting Incorporated "2021 Programming Education Market Research for Children"Both companies predict that the programming education market will grow to 40 billion yen in 2025, and business opportunities are likely to expand further. As of June 9, 2021, the number of programming classrooms listed in "Koeteko by GMO" is 10,900. The number of classrooms is expected to increase further as major educational institutions and IT companies are expected to enter the market in the future.
Summary: The era of 100 million total programming thinking has arrived.Business people are also essential skills
The Digital Agency was established on September 1, 2021 as an organization under the direct control of the Cabinet, and Japan has made a major shift to the digital society. In the future, if we miss the introduction of IT, it may be inconvenient for our lives. In order to be able to respond to the digital society, it will be a big challenge for parents to educate their children in programming, improve their logical thinking and problem-solving skills, and improve their programming skills.
In addition, business people are required to look ahead to the further expansion of the programming education market and successfully connect it to business opportunities. For that purpose, it is important to improve the knowledge not only for children but also for their own programming education.
