If you are familiar with primary education, you may have heard of the three Rs in education: Reading, wRiting and aRithmetic. The 3 Rs are basic skills taught to children early in their lives. The term ‘the 3 Rs’ was coined in the early 1800s and the concept is still used in schools to prepare kids to succeed. While the 3 Rs still matter to education, industry changes and technical evolution are making a 4th R just as important as the other three.

The Three Rs in Education Introduce...the Fourth R!

The fourth R necessary to succeed today is pRogramming literacy. In our digital world, coding education in schools must be taught along with reading, writing and math. This will help students succeed in the age of automation, the 4th industrial revolution. Technology has changed the way we do everything in life, including how we learn, work and play. Hatch is focused on teaching the fourth R, but helps kids develop the other three through a similar learning model.

Computer programming is an art. We should approach teaching and learning computer programming in a way that parallels techniques and pedagogical methods used to teach and learn reading, writing, and arithmetic.  

Programming is important to learn because children must know how to work with computers. Not everyone will become a computer programmer, but everyone will engage with computer programmers in some way. Hatch built a toolbox of skills to help shape the future of teaching kids to learn, read and write code at home. Kids learn programming the same way they learn to read, write and develop mathematical reasoning.

Why Do the 3Rs in Education Plus the 4th Matter to Future Careers?

Developing all 4 Rs will help kids fully participate in the economy over the next 20 years. After all, machines themselves can’t code, only humans can. By learning to read and write code, kids learn to create their ideas in their own native language through a computer. Today, there are 23 million programmers in the world, expected to reach 28 million within the next five years. Despite the high pay in programming jobs, many companies struggle to find talented people with coding skills and with experience. Business Insider predicts two of the top 20 best high-paying jobs of the future involve programming.

Becoming a computer programmer doesn’t necessarily mean you will work in computer science either. About half the job openings for coders are in industries like finance, manufacturing and healthcare. Any company using computers needs someone to program them and instruct staff.

Help Your Child Develop the 4 Rs With Hatch Coding Software

References:

https://www.weforum.org/focus/fourth-industrial-revolution
http://delphiboston.org/are-the-three-rs-still-the-most-important-points-in-education-today/
https://www.irishtimes.com/topics/topics-7.1213540?article=true&tag_person=Doreen+Lorenzo
https://www.irishtimes.com/business/innovation/coding-will-be-the-most-important-skill-in-the-future-1.3233019
https://www.businessinsider.com/best-jobs-future-growth-2019-3#18-systems-software-developers-13
https://hackernoon.com/how-will-coding-be-relevant-in-the-future-74594c2b015f

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