Our Philosophy

Our Philosophy

Penguin Coding believes that motivation is key to learning. The most compelling motivation for learning to code is that it enables building something kids can call their own.

The approach we take is based on coding curricula that have been developed for adults who are trying to learn coding as a career transition. The curricula for the coding bootcamps are very practical and always based on building something first, and then learning the principles behind what it took to build that. So instead of learning about loops and object oriented programming as a principle in a textbook and doing a bunch of problem sets, you start writing code for a website or app, and then discover through experience why it would be useful to incorporate loops and objects into your program.

At first, this experiential discovery method may seem inefficient as you end up re-writing code over and over to improve it instead of having the right answer from the beginning. But this iteration is critical for important concepts to really sink in and actual learning to take place. It is actually how professional software developers code. No software engineer knows every computer principle and programming trick by heart. They know enough to try different methods until one succeeds, or know enough to ask the right questions to the right people that can help them. Looking up an answer online is not something that is considered cheating, its an essential part of the job description.

What makes this approach "worth it" for the kids is that at the end of the road, they see that their code actually does things in the real world. Not in some play pen, but in the real Internet where anyone can access it. There is always a trade-off of how much you teach before letting them just do it, but that often depends on the level of the student's understanding and proficiency.

Penguin Coding believes that Anyone Can Code. It is based on the belief that coding does not require a math and science mind to excel. It is often taught using math & science methods because the educators and people associated with coding are often math & science people. But I believe it should be taught more as a skill like cooking or music, where anyone can enjoy, even if you never become a master chef or professional musician.