McLean and Great Falls: Cooper Middle Students Learn Coding

As the use of technology rises across the globe, so does the use for computer programming. However, as evidenced by the lack of young programmers, this fundamental skill is not being taught to the people who need it the most: students. In the 2016 State of the Union, President Obama said, “In the coming years, we should build on that progress, by providing Pre-K for all and offering every student the hands-on computer science and math classes that make them job-ready on day one.” In the spring of 2015, Cooper Middle School announced that they will have an Intro to Coding course available as an elective for the 2015-2016 school year. As expected, the new elective gained lots of popularity and many students chose it as their elective. The course, taught by teacher Lisa Walsh, is currently the first and only coding class offered to FCPS middle-schoolers. As one student taking the class said, “You learn how to code games that can help you in life for other opportunities.” Another student in the new class said, “You can creatively express yourself through the programs you make.” These are just a few of the many things that Cooper students have said about the first FCPS middle school computer programming class. The actions of Cooper Middle School and teacher Lisa Walsh show that FCPS is taking initiative in order to solve the lack of student programmers in the United States by giving middle schoolers to opportunity to learn a valuable skill: coding.