The conventional belief has always been that kids interested in coding should develop strong math skills. However, it turns out the reverse may also be true: coding can help children build math skills and make learning math more engaging and fun.<\/p>\n
In the three years that Casita Center, a magnet elementary school\u00a0in Southern California, has been teaching coding with Tynker, they’ve seen considerable improvements in their students’ math scores, outperforming virtually all California schools with similar demographics. Jenny Anderson, the school’s STEM specialist,\u00a0 believes this improvement is due to the effectiveness of their CS program.\u00a0When kids learn to code, they develop key skills like problem solving and practice algorithmic and computational thinking \u2013 and when they learn to code with Tynker, they have fun at the same time, so they’re more likely to stay engaged with the material. These broad skill sets and ways of breaking down\u00a0and analyzing problems translate across the curriculum and are particularly\u00a0helpful when it comes to math.<\/p>\n
Whether kids are learning to code at school or at home, you may just see an impact on their overall academic performance! Here are a few ways that coding helps\u00a0kids learn math:<\/p>\n
Grasping abstract math concepts can be a challenge to many kids and put them off the subject entirely. Parents, teachers, and technology specialists are using Tynker to help children visualize abstract concepts with<\/span> math and coding<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cOne of the most common cross curricular benefits of computer programming is that the kids have an easier time learning math skills,\u201d says\u00a0Michelle Lagos, a computer science teacher who\u00a0uses Tynker in elementary classes at the American School in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. \u201cWhen they have to work on long division, it is easier for them to visualize the numbers now instead of counting with their fingers. They visualize the equation and think of the best way to solve it.” Lagos reports that she has “seen kids in many grades improve their math skills\u201d by using Tynker to learn coding.<\/p>\n Jesse Thorstad, Technology Coordinator for the Fergus Falls Public Schools district in Minnesota, has had a similar experience. \u201cTynker provides kids with a concrete example of the power of decimal places,\u201d he says. \u201cWhen studying decimals in math, the students experience a heartwarming \u2018Ah-ha!\u2019 moment when they see how moving a decimal <\/span>coding block<\/b> can affect the objects on the screen tenfold.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Repairing spaceships or saving puppies with Tynker is a great way for a child to see concrete applications of <\/span>math for computer programming<\/b> strategies.<\/span> Tynker parent Sri Ramakrishnan points out that kids develop stronger math skills when applying concepts in a real-world context: \u201cThe computational thinking involved in computer programming involves logic, organizing and analyzing data, and breaking a problem into smaller and more manageable parts. Much of this is also required when solving math problems!\u201d<\/p>\n Kids who use Tynker see how <\/span>math coding<\/b> is inherently creative. Here is an example of math art that kids can create with Tynker:<\/span><\/p>\n \n\nKids explore the real-world applications of math concepts<\/h2>\n
Math can be used in creative coding projects<\/h2>\n