Coding and the 8 Mathematical Principles

 

I really wish I could incorporate coding into my math class but the system is not set up to do that.  One reason I want to do that is because it gives students a real life opportunity to use the mathematical knowledge they’ve learned in class.  It provides an opportunity for students to apply and deepen their mathematical understanding while having them apply mathematical principles in a real life situation.

The first principal asks students to make sense of the problem and persevere to solve them.  When students code, they are more likely to continue trying different things so they work through and solve the problem.  In fact, being able to problem solve is one of the most important skills for coders.  Many companies look for someone who has excellent problem solving abilities even if they are a bit weak in the actual programming.

The second principle is to have students develop abstract reasoning which is also important in coding.  Often times, a student has to look at what they are working on to figure out what is missing so they can get their program to work.  They have to make sure when they want a counter for loops, the counter is working correctly while keeping proper count.  

Furthermore, coding often requires the programmer to model mathematical situations.  They have to identify the important quantities, and use coding to place them into a usable form or to apply to a modeling situation.  It also allows them to create tools or apps that others can use.  In addition, students are expected to be precise in math and they have apply the same precision to coding or their final product won’t work right.

Another mathematical practice requires students to make use of structure and all programming languages have a set structure that students have to follow or things won’t work out.  If students follow the structure of the language properly, they can produce something that works but if they don’t, the app won’t work.

Finally, mathematical principles have students express regularity in a repeated situation.  In coding, students have to write loops so something will be done multiple times.  It would be like having your dinosaur walk far enough forward to stop at the river without falling in.  Sometimes, a program has to have the printer print out a set of results multiple times.

If we want students to develop better understanding and application of the eight mathematical principles, we need to integrate more programming or coding into schools.  Let me know what you think, I’d love to hear.  Have a great day.