How to Integrate Coding into the Core Curriculum

Should coding be integrated into the core curriculum, or should it be an elective or a special area class all on its own? Where does it fit?

Segregation or Integration?

From my experience, integration is always the way to go.

I was a computer lab teacher (although I always preferred the title Digital Literacy Teacher).

My students came to my lab once a week for 35 minutes. After taking attendance, reviewing previous material, and introducing that day's lesson, we were left with about 20–25 minutes of actual instruction. Three times a year, the lab was closed for three weeks at a time for state testing—a total of nine weeks, plus a make-up week. As you can imagine, I didn't have much time with my students.

During those short class periods, I was expected to teach word processing, presentations, internet research, coding, keyboarding, and digital citizenship. To make things even more challenging, for six of the seven years I taught, our district was not 1:1. Classroom teachers didn't have regular access to technology unless they signed out the single computer cart that was stored in the media center.

My class was completely segregated from the rest of the school day. Students received roughly 12 hours of technology instruction each year—and only in my classroom.

When teachers checked out the computer cart to type an essay or create a presentation, they would often come to me and say:

• "The students aren't very good at typing."

• "Some of my students don't know their passwords."

• "Did you teach them how to make a presentation? They seem to be struggling."

At first, I questioned myself.

Did I not teach them well enough? Were my lessons not engaging?

Then I found myself blaming the students.

Why aren't they retaining these skills? Why can't they apply what they learned in my class when they return to their general education classroom?

After spending some time reflecting, I realized the problem wasn't my teaching or the students.

The problem was that these skills were isolated.

Technology wasn't something students used throughout the day. It was something they only did when they came to my room once a week. Without regular opportunities to practice those skills in meaningful ways, it was unrealistic to expect them to retain and transfer what they had learned.

So I approached my principal with an idea.

"I'd like to meet with the classroom teachers, find out what they're teaching, and integrate those topics into my lessons."

I started small.

The fourth-grade classes were studying New York State geography, so my students used Google Earth to locate rivers and mountain ranges. They researched the history of those locations using Google Search and then created Google Slides presentations to share what they had learned with their classroom teachers.

Next, I wanted to take an even bigger step. The fourth graders were also studying the Iroquois, so I had students work in small groups to build an Iroquois village using Minecraft Education.

That was the moment everything changed.

I wasn't on an island anymore.

I was part of the learning community.

So What Does This Have to Do with Coding?

First, I wanted to share this story because the same principle applies to coding.

When coding is isolated in one classroom, students often see it as a separate subject that has little connection to the rest of their education. But when coding is integrated into what they're already learning, students begin to understand its purpose. They see how technology can help them solve problems, communicate ideas, analyze information, and create meaningful projects.

No matter what grade level or subject you teach, you've probably heard terms like computational thinking, problem-solving, critical thinking, and creativity. These are some of the most valuable skills we can help students develop, and coding naturally reinforces every one of them.

Unfortunately, whenever I mention coding to teachers, I usually hear the same responses:

• "Isn't that for the technology teacher?"

• "I don't have time to fit that into my curriculum."

• "I don't know how to code, and I definitely don't have time to learn."

I completely understand those concerns because I used to think the same way.

But here's the good news: integrating coding doesn't mean adding another subject to your already full day.

It means teaching what you're already teaching in a different way.

If your students are learning fractions, they can code a game that practices equivalent fractions. If they're studying ecosystems, they can create an interactive simulation of a food web. Reading a novel? Students can build a digital choose-your-own-adventure story based on the book. Learning about weather patterns? Have students program a simple animation that demonstrates the water cycle.

The learning objective never changes. Coding simply becomes the tool students use to demonstrate their understanding.

And here's something I've learned after working with hundreds of educators: you don't need to be an expert programmer to successfully integrate coding into your classroom. Just as you don't need to be a professional artist to have students create posters or a professional filmmaker to have students make videos, you don't need to know every programming language. Today's coding platforms are designed to help both teachers and students learn together.

Start with one lesson. One project. One activity.

Once you see how engaged your students become—and how naturally coding reinforces the content you're already teaching—you'll begin to notice coding opportunities everywhere.

National Coding Week isn't about creating future software engineers. It's about giving every student the opportunity to develop the problem-solving, creativity, perseverance, and critical thinking skills they'll use for the rest of their lives. Coding is simply one of the most engaging ways to get there.

You don't have to change your curriculum.

You simply have to change the way students experience it.

About the Author

Allison has over a decade of experience in education, spanning roles as a teaching assistant, AIS (Academic Intervention Services) math teacher, high school business teacher, and most recently, a digital literacy instructor. Her dedication earned her "Teacher of the Year" nominations in 2000 in Providence, Rhode Island, and in 2020 in Broadalbin, New York.