by Julie Weed, Seattle Times
Students have an array of introductions to computer programming, which develops critical thinking skills “completely transferable” to other areas of learning, says Lauren Bricker, a computer-science teacher at Seattle’s Lakeside School. Until computer programming becomes standard curriculum at middle and high schools though, families can turn to the Web for free resources and programming games for students. Computer programming helps develop critical thinking skills, such as how to break down a problem into manageable parts or how to put tasks into a logical sequence, as well as the importance of precise communication. “These skills are completely transferable,” said Lauren Bricker, a computer science teacher at Seattle’s Lakeside School. “Students can use them to write a computer program or a history paper.” Young beginners might try the free websites. Learning to give logical instructions is one of the first steps to programming. These sites also teach such basic programming concepts as loops, which are sets of instructions that get repeated, and conditional statements, which are “if … then”instructions.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2017479540_ptteentween11.html
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