Finding Ada: How Children Learn Human Values through Programming Book Review
Finding Ada, an organization that celebrates Ada Lovelace Day (ALD), is an international celebration of the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). They aim to increase the profile of women in STEM and create new role models who will encourage more girls into STEM careers and support women already working in STEM.
We are honored that they explored our co-founder and chief scientist, Dr. Marina Bers’ new book, Beyond Coding: How Children Learn Human Values through Programming. Their review includes:
“Today, schools are introducing STEM education and robotics to children in ever-lower grades. In Beyond Coding, Marina Umaschi Bers lays out a pedagogical roadmap for teaching code that encompasses the cultivation of character along with technical knowledge and skills. Presenting code as a universal language, she shows how children discover new ways of thinking, relating, and behaving through creative coding activities. Today’s children will undoubtedly have the technical knowledge to change the world. But cultivating strength of character, socioeconomic maturity, and a moral compass alongside that knowledge, says Bers, is crucial.
Bers, a leading proponent of teaching computational thinking and coding as early as preschool and kindergarten, presents examples of children and teachers using the ScratchJr. and KIBO robotics platforms to make explicit some of the positive values implicit in the process of learning computer science. If we are to do right by our children, our approach to coding must incorporate the elements of a moral education: the use of narrative to explore identity and values, the development of logical thinking to think critically and solve technical and ethical problems, and experiences in the community to enable personal relationships. Through learning the language of programming, says Bers, it is possible for diverse cultural and religious groups to find points of connection, put assumptions and stereotypes behind them, and work together toward a common goal.”
See the full review.
