Review: Coding as Literacy & Unplugged Pedagogy

 By....Amruta Sanjay Ranade

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Teaching computer science to Year 6 students involves more than just teaching technology; it involves teaching a new way of thinking. 

However, for students who are still developing their English language proficiency, traditional methods of instruction—such as text-heavy flowcharts and complex English-based coding interfaces—often create a "bottleneck." 

Students get stuck on the language before they can ever reach the logic.

This review document explores a pedagogical shift designed to bypass this barrier. 

By synthesizing the "Coding as Another Language" (CAL) framework developed by Marina Umaschi Bers (2019) and the empirical findings on "Unplugged" learning by Hermans and Aivaloglou (2017), they propose a transition from text-centric instruction to symbolic and kinesthetic learning.

The goal is to move coding out of the "STEM silo" and treat it as a literacy. 

Just as a child learns to tell a story through pictures before writing sentences, our students can master computational logic through symbols and physical movement before translating those ideas into English-based code. 

This approach ensures that a student's linguistic background does not limit their potential as a computational thinker.

1. The Problem: The "Language-Logic" Barrier

In Year 6, students are often introduced to Computer Science through Flowcharts and Block-Based Coding (Scratch). 

For students weak in English, this creates a "Double Cognitive Load":

• Linguistic Load: Decoding English terms like If-Then, Variable, and Loop.

• Logical Load: Understanding the abstract sequence of commands.

  Result: Students fail to explain flowcharts not because they lack logic, but because the "English wrapper" is too thick.

2. Key Framework: Coding as Another Language (CAL)

Source: Bers (2019), "Coding as Another Language: A Pedagogical Approach"

The research argues that coding should be taught as a New Literacy—a way to tell stories and express ideas—rather than just a mathematical tool.

The Six Stages of Development

Students move through these stages similarly to learning to read and write:

1. Emergent: Exploring how technology works.

2. Coding & Decoding: Understanding that one symbol = one action.

3. Fluency: Combining symbols to "write" a story or a program.

4. New Knowledge: Using code to explain other subjects (Math, Science).

5. Multiple Perspectives: Coding for an audience (User Experience).

6. Purposefulness: Using code as a natural tool for expression.

3. Empirical Support: The "Unplugged" First Approach

Source: Hermans & Aivaloglou (2017)

This study provides the evidence needed to move students away from screens when they are struggling.

Key Evidence

• Confidence: Students who start with "Unplugged" activities (physical games, cards) report higher Self-Efficacy. They don't feel "stupid" because they aren't fighting an English-language interface.

• Conceptual Depth: By using physical objects to represent code, students internalize concepts like Loops and Conditionals before they have to read them on a screen.

4. Recommended Instructional Shift (Year 6)

To bridge the gap for your students, the research suggests a "Concreteness Fading" model:

Phase	Activity Type	Language Level
1. Concrete	Kinesthetic Coding: Students physically walk a "grid" on the floor.	Zero English (Body language/Gestures).
2. Pictorial	Symbol Mapping: Replacing words with Icons (e.g., 🔁 instead of "Repeat").	Symbolic (Visual cues).
3. Abstract	Hybrid Flowcharts: Combining symbols with simple English labels.	Transitioning to English.

5. Conclusion & Action Plan

The research indicates that the "Weak English" of your Year 6 students is not a barrier to computational thinking, provided we remove the text-heavy requirements.

Next Steps:

1. Pause Screen-Time: Dedicate the next 2 weeks to "Unplugged" logic games.

2. Visual Scaffolding: Replace text-heavy flowcharts with Icon-based maps.

3. Peer Verbalization: Allow students to explain their logic in their native language first to confirm understanding.

References:

Bers, M. U. (2019). Coding as another language: a pedagogical approach for teaching computer science in early childhood. Journal of Computers in Education, 6(4), 499–528.

Hermans, F., & Aivaloglou, E. (2017). To Scratch or not to Scratch?: A controlled experiment comparing plugged first and unplugged first programming lessons. Proceedings of the 12th Workshop on Primary and Secondary Computing Education (WiPSCE '17).