> Learning to code is merely teaching people to spell. This is true, however you can't dive into the nuances of Shakespeare without knowing what words are and

> Learning to code is merely teaching people to spell. This is true, however you can't dive into the nuances of Shakespeare without knowing what words are and how to spell them. One thing to keep in mind when arguing theoretical vs mechanical education is children can't think like adults. In fact, children aren't even capable of abstract thought until they hit the 11 to 13 year old range [1] (and only the bright ones are able to think that way that young). So starting a deep dive with Computer Science with 7th and 8th graders is a fools errand. But it is a worth while endeavour to show them the mechanical side of coding. They will eat that up. Once they have a handle on mechanical tasks, then you can start introducing the theoretical. More kids will pick up the concepts that way. Walk before you run my friend. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaget%27s_theory_of_cognitive_development http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piaget%27s_theory_of_cognitive_...