Computer science is a part of general education. If we are to take this seriously, there are far-reaching implications – it means, for instance, we should teach it to our children in the same way as the other basic school subjects. One of which is, of course, mathematics – for who wouldn't want their child to be able to add two and two? I consider it just as important that our children don’t grow up illiterate in computer science.
Much more than a computer and a screen
Some people may be disconcerted: of course computer science is important, but why teach it to the very young? I believe one of the misconceptions is that many think immediately of computers and monitors. But for me, computer science is something else – it’s a school of thought that helps me to take problems apart and solve them step by step. If I have a solution in mind, I have to think it through carefully, because a small variation can change everything. If the solution works, I then wonder if there’s an easier or faster way. That's what algorithmic thinking is about. And algorithms - whether we’ll admit it or not – are increasingly determining our world.
Algorithmic thinking is creative – it stimulates the mind and encourages teamwork. Things that we want from our children's education, in fact. During courses we give at the department, we observe children programming complex patterns on their own and developing little computer games – pure creativity!
