Introducing Programming and Digital Competence in Swedish K-9 Education

The role of computer science and IT in Swedish schools has varied throughout the years. In fall 2014, the Swedish government gave the National Agency for Education (Skolverket) the task of preparing a proposal for K–9 education on how to better address the competences required in a digitalized society. In June 2016, Skolverket handed over a proposal introducing digital competence and programming as interdisciplinary traits, also providing explicit formulations in subjects such as mathematics (programming, algorithms and problem-solving), technology (controlling physical artifacts) and social sciences (fostering aware and critical citizens in a digital society). In March 2017, the government approved the new curriculum, which needs to be implemented by fall 2018 at the latest. We present the new K–9 curriculum and put it in a historical context. We also describe and analyze the process of developing the revised curriculum, and discuss some initiatives for how to implement the changes.