CRESTVIEW — Students at Riverside Elementary have been given new ways to learn important lessons for the 21st century.
On Jan. 7, the school started a coding class that teaches students about computer programming.
“Our goal is to increase their exposure to computer science and education,” said Riverside principal Melissa Kearley. “Our hope is that by starting them young, we will be teaching them early enough that they have a foundation for success in a 21st century career they may choose.”
All of the students at the school from kindergarten to fifth grade take turns participating in the 50-minute class in the computer lab, taught by Angelica Espeseth.
According to Kearley, the class helps to teach students how to think logically and creatively as well as how to tap into critical thinking components.
“The problem solving skills and lessons teach them perseverance and assists the students in their current studies,” Kearley said. “It also directly ties into necessary skills to make them good writers, readers and mathematicians.”
Some of the ways the class has helped students in their daily studies is by giving them more exposure to lessons regarding things such as sequencing cause and effect, as well as counting.
Kearley said the first round of class rotations finished last week, so the school has not yet gotten feedback on the affect it is having on the students, but she is optimistic.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Riverside teaches students computer programming