Learning and teaching coding is not as easy as ABC. Just like Math, people, especially children, may turn away from leaning code the same way learning Math can sometimes prove not to be as easy. However, coding as a skill will become more and more important over time and its relation to Math will inevitably make the subject, which is most dreaded by many, easy to learn. Children in Kenya and Africa at large should learn computer science from an early age if we want to grow global ideas, be on the cutting edge, and become competitive globally. If you ask children, or anyone for that matter, whether they think people will use computers more in the future, or less; in almost all cases everyone will answer more.

Coding requires many of the same skills that we use in math, such as critical thinking and problem-solving. When children learn math and how to solve problems, they are also able to learn how to approach problems. When children learn how to code, they can be able to make sense of problems, critique the reasoning of others, analyze errors and solutions, contextualize and decontextualize problems among other advantages. This is what coding does and can be used to solve mathematical problems as well.

Most definitely, coding is just one suggestion, and we are not saying that it’s the best way to make mathematical practices tangible for school-going children. However, there is certainly an opportunity for math educators and parents to integrate coding into a child’s learning process. Coding may also help students improve their attitude towards problem-solving. Just like completing any challenging math problem or finishing a difficult puzzle, the final product of any coding completion project always leaves a satisfying impression.

What mathematics can help within coding?

• Abstraction

This is probably the most important transferable skill in mathematics. This is the ability to strip away all the unnecessary stuff and focus on the important properties required in creating code.

• Perspective

The ability to change one’s point of view to suit the problem. We commonly treat this in linear algebra with change-of-basis formulae. We all know how challenging even simple algebra can get, but it is much more applicable than you may think. It is the idea that just because something has been presented to you in one approach, that doesn’t have to be the way you work with it. This separates one’s view of the thing itself from the way it has been presented. This is extremely practical: it is all about making something useful or efficient.

• Form versus Function

If something can be presented in many different ways then it is no longer fair to say that one particular presentation is the thing. This applies to code very well.

Remember, Code is ‘made of Math’. At a simple level, this is 1’s and 0’s that must be manipulated into higher-order concepts.

It is, therefore, not surprising that coding helps children learn Math and Physics. Many types of coding involve simulations of a real environment. So, children must learn a lot of concepts around math, physics, and problem-solving to create even the simplest program.

Fortunately, many children think computers and coding are fun activities. This creates the drive that they need to learn a lot of math concepts like Arithmetic, Cartesian Coordinates, Arithmetic, and Algebra, as well as more general skills like problem-solving and logic.

Programming makes Math more fun

Citations:

Here’s why I’m going to teach my math students to code https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2016/02/25/coding-math-gbt/

What does Mathematics have to do with programming https://softwareengineering.stackexchange.com/questions/136987/what-does-mathematics-have-to-do-with-programming

Coding helps children learn Math https://www.mvcodeclub.com/articles/coding-helps-students-with-math