Computing as the 4th “R”: a general education approach to computing education

Computing and computation are increasingly pervading our lives, careers, and societies - a change driving interest in computing education at the secondary level. But what should define a "general education" computing course at this level? That is, what would you want every person to know, assuming they never take another computing course? We identify possible outcomes for such a course through the experience of designing and implementing a general education university course utilizing best-practice pedagogies. Though we nominally taught programming, the design of the course led students to report gaining core, transferable skills and the confidence to employ them in their future. We discuss how various aspects of the course likely contributed to these gains. Finally, we encourage the community to embrace the challenge of teaching general education computing in contrast to and in conjunction with existing curricula designed primarily to interest students in the field

How to design activities for learning computational thinking in the context of early primary school in an after-school code club

Abstract. Computational Thinking (CT) and its related concepts have gained a lot of traction within the field of education. Many countries, including Finland and the United Kingdom, are in the process of integrating CT into their national curriculums to equip pupils with much needed 21st century digital skills, including coding (programming). As a result, several programs and activities are being developed to introduce pupils to CT. The need to develop appropriate teaching and learning materials, as well as train teachers to teach, and integrate computational thinking into their lessons is apparent. This thesis seeks to contribute to the body of knowledge on computational thinking by designing and testing instructional materials for early primary school. Computational thinking as a concept, how to integrate its concepts into coding, as well as how pupils understood the concept were explored. This study was conducted in an after-school coding club at an elementary school in the northern part of Finland. The duration for the coding club was 8 weeks. Each lesson lasted for 45 minutes. Participants were selected from among 1st and 2nd grade pupils. In selecting participants for this study, priority was given to pupils with no prior coding experience. 13 out of the selected 17 had no prior experience. The remaining 4 participants were randomly selected from the rest of the applicants who had coding experience. Worksheets and stickers were designed and tested for teaching and learning computational thinking. Lesson plans designed for the coding club included activities for teaching computational thinking using unplugged activities and Scratchjr. The unplugged activities were integrated into coding lessons to enhance the understanding of pupils during the coding lessons. This approach helped to connect theoretical computational thinking to real life practices and its application in the context of coding. Data collected included the unplugged activity worksheets of the participants, their Scratchjr projects, and self-efficacy beliefs regarding their ability to code and think computationally. These work products were evaluated qualitatively for evidence of understanding. The analysis of the self-efficacy beliefs of participants revealed that participants were confident of their computational thinking and coding abilities. The main outcome of this research is the instructional material (stickers, templates, and Scratchjr activities) which was designed for teaching and learning purposes. This unique experiment and pedagogical designs are explained to show how unplugged activities can be used to introduce pupils to computational thinking concepts

Development of Computational Thinking in Brazilian Schools with Social and Economic Vulnerability: How to Teach Computer Science Without Machines

Computational Thinking (CT) has been placing the focus of educational innovation as a set of troubleshooting skills. Unfortunately, there is not a consensus if the teaching methodology and the available materials attend the expectations of the lecturers. To prove the impact that CT training has in primary school, we attempted to evaluate primary school students with a Quasi-Experimental approach and taking Unplugged CT classes in Brazilian Schools with Social and Economic Vulnerabilities. The research happened in two schools to prove if the activities are effective for students who live in areas where there are no electronic devices, Internet or even electrical power can be also benefited. The results show statistically significant improvement. Our study finds shows that we are able to reinforce the claim that CS unplugged is an effective approach and it is an alternative for students who live in unprivileged areas

Computational Thinking in Education: Where does it fit? A systematic literary review

Computational Thinking (CT) has been described as an essential skill which everyone should learn and can therefore include in their skill set. Seymour Papert is credited as concretising Computational Thinking in 1980 but since Wing popularised the term in 2006 and brought it to the international community's attention, more and more research has been conducted on CT in education. The aim of this systematic literary review is to give educators and education researchers an overview of what work has been carried out in the domain, as well as potential gaps and opportunities that still exist. Overall it was found in this review that, although there is a lot of work currently being done around the world in many different educational contexts, the work relating to CT is still in its infancy. Along with the need to create an agreed-upon definition of CT lots of countries are still in the process of, or have not yet started, introducing CT into curriculums in all levels of education. It was also found that Computer Science/Computing, which could be the most obvious place to teach CT, has yet to become a mainstream subject in some countries, although this is improving. Of encouragement to educators is the wealth of tools and resources being developed to help teach CT as well as more and more work relating to curriculum development. For those teachers looking to incorporate CT into their schools or classes then there are bountiful options which include programming, hands-on exercises and more. The need for more detailed lesson plans and curriculum structure however, is something that could be of benefit to teachers

Computer Programming Effects in Elementary: Perceptions and Career Aspirations in STEM

The development of elementary-aged students’ STEM and computer science (CS) literacy is critical in this evolving technological landscape, thus, promoting success for college, career, and STEM/CS professional paths. Research has suggested that elementary- aged students need developmentally appropriate STEM integrated opportunities in the classroom; however, little is known about the potential impact of CS programming and how these opportunities engender positive perceptions, foster confidence, and promote perseverance to nurture students’ early career aspirations related to STEM/CS. The main purpose of this mixed-method study was to examine elementary-aged students’ (N = 132) perceptions of STEM, career choices, and effects from pre- to post-test intervention of CS lessons (N = 183) over a three-month period. Findings included positive and significant changes from students’ pre- to post-tests as well as augmented themes from 52 student interviews to represent increased enjoyment of CS lessons, early exposure, and its benefits for learning to future careers

Characteristics and problems of unplugged computer science curriculum for young children: comparative and practical research based on the curriculum in four countries

With the progress of computer science education in recent years, more and more educators have brought attention to computer science education among young children. Among all these strategies, the unplugged form has been shown to be more effective in teaching. However, recent studies have focused more on the impact of unplugged computer science courses on young children and less on whether these courses are appropriate for the developmental stage of young children. Therefore, this research summarized the curriculum characteristics by comparing different series of unplugged courses for young children from four nations. Then, in a 7-day workshop conducted in China\u27s urban areas, we explored the issues that arise in the implementation of these courses. This research reveals that, although the existing courses cater to a young age range, four issues can still be found, including difficulty, ability difference, too much cooperation, and emphasis on abstraction. Some of these issues may be handled by instructors, while others need consideration of the connection between curriculum design and the physical and cognitive development levels of young children. Furthermore, this research explored the acceptance of unplugged computer science among Chinese young children as well as its impact on their computational thinking level, achieving positive results

PEMBELAJARAN ILMU KOMPUTER TANPA KOMPUTER (UNPLUGGED ACTIVITIES) UNTUK MELATIH KETERAMPILAN LOGIKA ANAK

Abstrak: Pembelajaran ilmu komputer untuk anak-anak telah menjadi agenda pendidikan di banyak negara karena dapat melatih berpikir logis dan kreatif. Namun upaya ini seringkali tidak dapat diwujudkan karena keterbatasan sumber daya serta akses terhadap perangkat komputer. Unplugged Activities merupakan pendekatan pembelajaran konsep dasar ilmu komputer tanpa menggunakan komputer melalui permainan menarik. Kegiatan ini berbasis aktivitas fisik, dapat dilakukan dalam berbagai format dengan menggunakan instrumen sederhana, murah dan mudah ditemukan. Meninjau manfaat tersebut rangkaian kegiatan “Pengenalan Permainan Edukatif Berdasarkan Ilmu Komputer” dilakukan untuk memperkenalkan prinsip, metode, instrumen, dan referensi Unplugged Activities. Peserta kegiatan adalah 63 orang guru, pegiat pendidikan, dan orang tua dari dari berbagai kota. Para peserta selanjutnya menerapkan kegiatan ini kepada anak-anak dan siswanya. Evaluasi dilakukan dengan membandingkan penilaian mandiri peserta sebelum dan sesudah acara, serta penilaian terhadap implementasi Unplugged Activities terhadap anak. Hasil evaluasi menunjukan terdapatnya peningkatan pemahaman peserta dalam pengetahuan dasar Unplugged Activities sebesar 35,7%. Dalam implementasinya, kegiatan ini dapat dinikmati, difahami dan membuat anak-anak termotivasi mempraktekan permainan.Abstract: Learning computer science for children has become an educational agenda in many countries because it can train logical and creative thinking. However, this effort often cannot be realized due to limited resources and access to computer devices. Unplugged Activities is an approach to learning the basic concepts of computer science without using a computer through interesting games. This activity is based on physical activity, can be done in various formats using simple, inexpensive, and easy-to-find instruments. Because of these benefits, the series of activities "Introduction to Educational Games Based on Computer Science" was conducted to introduce the principles, methods, instruments, and references to Unplugged Activities. The participants of the activity were 63 teachers, education activists, and parents from various cities. The participants then applied this activity to their children and students. Evaluation is done by comparing the participants' self-assessment before and after the event and assessing the implementation of Unplugged Activities for children. The evaluation results showed an increase in participants' understanding of the basic knowledge of Unplugged Activities by 35.7%. In its implementation, this activity can be enjoyed, understood, and motivated children to practice the game

The Influence of Using Module with Computational Thinking Unplugged Approaches and Module with Scientific Approaches Based on Student's Critical Thinking Ability Towards Cognitive Ability the Subject of Temperature and Heat Transfer

The purpose of this research was to determine (1) the difference effect between the use of module with an unplugged computational thinking approach and module with a scientific approach to students' cognitive abilities on the subject of temperature and heat transfer, (2) the differences effect of students' critical thinking abilities in the high and low category on students' cognitive abilities on the subject of temperature and heat transfer, (3) the interaction between the effect of using module with a computational thinking unplugged approach and module with a scientific approach and students' critical thinking skills on students' cognitive abilities on the subject of temperature and heat transfer. This research used a quasi-experimental method with a 2x2 factorial design. The population in this research were all students of the first semester of physics education at Universitas Sebelas Maret. Data collection techniques used are tests and questionnaires. Data were analyzed using a two-way ANOVA with different cell contents. The results of the study show that: (1) there is a difference in the effect between the use of module with a computational thinking unplugged approach and module with a scientific approach to students' cognitive abilities on the subject of temperature and heat transfer ( 2) there is a difference in the effect of students' critical thinking skills in the high and low categories on students' cognitive abilities on the subject of temperature and heat transfer, and (3) there is no interaction between the effect of using module with a computational approach thinking unplugged and module with a scientific approach and students' critical thinking skills on students' cognitive abilities on the subject of temperature and heat transfer