Burnaby elementary school students taught Premier Christy Clark a thing or two about maneuvering robots around this week during her visit to a local elementary school for a funding announcement.
The premier was at Taylor Park Elementary School Friday morning to announce $6 million in funding to pay for teacher training and classroom computers, so every B.C. student can learn to code by Grade 9, as per the province’s new Applied Design, Skills and Technologies curriculum.
In 2016/17, the province will spend $2 million on teacher training, specifically for the coding curriculum, $2 million to help school districts buy equipment and resources for coding, and $2 million to help teachers bring the new curriculum to life in their classrooms, Clark announced.
“Supporting the new curriculum just makes sense – for our students today and for our success as a province tomorrow,” she said. “Coding and our new curriculum are connecting students with the problem-solving and critical-thinking skills they need to thrive – no matter what path they choose.”
During the premier’s visit, Taylor Park students in grades 4 to 7 got a chance to show her their 3-D printing, coding and robotics projects, developed with the help of high school students from nearby Byrne Creek Community School.
