We were talking to a principal at a local school the other day, and I happen to ask about their computer science program in ESO (grades 7-10 for North Americans). He looked at me and said “Well, there’s no requirement for computer science in ESO in Catalunya.”
“What do you mean? I remember taking computer science in grade 8 about 25 years ago, but I guess that was not Spain.”
“Well, there is ‘technologia’, but that more like learning how to make a chair or how the engine of a car works.”
OMFG
The 44% youth unemployment rate doesn’t look so crazy anymore.
The only place in Spain that has optional computer science in ESO is are Basque countries. I’ve read other good things about the educational system there, and it is interesting that their unemployment rate is more like 10%.
2 comments:
If they introduce computer science, how to open Word will probably occupy the first year.
I repeat my skepticism regarding Catalonia's goal of preparing students for "the real world" (if that were a concern, maybe the educational system would be more focused on English and less on Catalan).
Besides, it's not as if the government makes any more of an effort to establish a climate for innovation and business opportunity outside of the school system -- why should they bother to form competent laborers if there will be no jobs for them anyway?
On the DIY side of things, you might try exposing the little ones to "Hackety Hack" (http://hackety.com/) for a good kid's level introduction to the programming mentality. Besides, I think that hacking is probably something that grows better of private initiative that a sterile classroom setting.
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