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Comment by solaris999 | Hacker News Reader

I think you underestimate how much having something tactile, with buttons and LEDs, can really shift how younger students perceive learning. I volunteer teach a group of 8/9 year olds an intro to programming class and the difference between teaching them Python using CLI-esque tools and making things light up on the micro:bit is astounding.

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Is that age group the best age to learn? I notice they're targeting year 7/8/9 in the UK - is that high school?

Yes, in the UK high school starts in year 7 (age 11-12)

The ages for education/schools in the UK:

     5-11    -> Primary School
    11-16    -> Secondary School
    16-18    -> Further Education (often called college, or Sixth Form)
    18-21/22 -> Higher Education (University/undergraduate)

Some secondary schools are large enough/have enough expertise to have a Sixth Form as part of it. Some children go to "preparatory school" until age 13 when they enter a secondary school.

Maybe you are right, I am just thinking it would be harder to to get a program to do something interesting.

I think you have it backwards. It might be easier to print "hello world", but that's not interesting.

Blinking an LED? That's actually interesting. You can show your friends. You can put it in another toy. A child can do a lot with a blinking LED.

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