Our Philosophy

Computer Science is not only about computers or programming languages, It is about learning a new way of thinking and a new way of problem solving. It's about learning how to think like a computer scientist - a.k.a. Computational Thinking. Many online and offline coding classes focus on teaching the WHAT (“mechanics”, i.e., the syntax, of programming languages), but are not effective in teaching Computational Thinking. Without an understanding of HOW and WHY (problem solving skills), children don’t see the relevance of what’s taught in coding classes and forget what they have learned (the syntax) quickly. The challenges faced by Computer Science educators for young children are 1) concepts too abstract and 2) curriculum too boring to keep students engaged.

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We believe that it is much more important to teach children the HOW and WHY than the WHAT of programming methodology. Whether solving a USACO problem, creating a game, or teaching a robot how to avoid obstacles, students learn how to use computer to help solve problems or to create interesting artifacts. Our Project Based Learning (PBL) approach makes learning Computational Thinking relevant, intuitive, and fun.

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We advocate student-centered, discovery learning where students use information they already know to acquire more knowledge. For example, instead of learning programming syntax(the WHAT) and then trying to apply them to making a game, students will start by playing a game that they are familiar with. They will then analyze the game from programmer’s perspective, identify the code components in the game and what they need to learn to build the components. This top-down, application driven approach is proven effective in keeping students motivated and enjoy learning.