Our Yew Chung International School of Beijing Primary School students participated in the worldwide event Hour of Code. Designed to introduce students of all ages to computer science and coding, the event was a massive hit, inspiring students to think creatively and engage and succeed in challenging problem-solving tasks.

Primary ICT Coordinator Alana Elias, the head organizer of the event, recapped the event’s success and the clear benefits students received.

Please introduce the Hour of Code and its mission.

The Hour of Code is a global initiative involving tens of millions of students in over 180 countries around the world. The one-hour coding session is a simple introduction to computer science.  It is designed to simplify the activity of coding, giving anyone the ability to code.   

How did students participate in the Hour of Code this past week?

All Primary School students were scheduled for one period during the week to participate in the event through playing a game appropriate to their age. The students were paired up with a partner with whom they would collaboratively make decisions and solve problems.

How did our kids perform?

The students were fully engaged and had a great time. Many students managed to solve complex problems through changing and tweaking of original code they’d created, which was one of the main challenges presented by the activity!

What benefits does this activity bring students?

The activity provided students with great opportunities to develop very important knowledge and skills. Apart from developing a basic understanding of one aspect of computer science, students honed their logical and sequential thinking as well as collaboration skills. They developed a deeper appreciation of their peer’s contribution to specific tasks and improved their ability to solve a problem through experimentation. It also activated students’ creativity and broadened their horizons, allowing them to further realize the multitude of opportunities that coding and technology can bring them in their future.

Why is coding an important skill or activity for kids to be exposed to at a young age?

One of the core tenets of YCIS Beijing’s school motto is to “Align with Technology,” so the importance of being able to effectively use these tools is something we have recognized from day one. Technology is changing every industry in the world and impacting every aspect of our daily lives. This makes computing knowledge a crucial part of a balanced skillset that we seek to offer our students at YCIS Beijing.

Is there anything else about this activity you would like to add?

Our participation in the event was particularly rewarding for me as a teacher. I deeply enjoyed helping our students to fully immerse themselves in the activity and seeing them help one another to reach their goal. It gave me a great pleasure to coordinate this event at YCIS Beijing and to provide our students with an opportunity that I couldn’t have dreamed of having when I was a Primary School student!