Teaching computer science to 5-7 year-olds:an initial study with Scratch, Cubelets and unplugged computing

Changes to school curriculums increasingly require the introduction of computer science concepts to younger children. This practical report compares three existing tools for teaching computer science concepts: unplugged computing, tangible computing and MIT's Scratch. We specifically focus on the use of these tools for school pupils aged 5--7. We describe a comparative study with 28 pupils from three rural UK primary schools that explores engagement with, and effectiveness of, each tool. As far as we are aware this is the first such comparative study of its kind. We demonstrate that the studied tools can be used to successfully introduce core computer science concepts to pupils as young as 5 years of age, that the methods used by teachers to deliver computing curriculums may greatly impact the learning outcomes, and that particular care needs to be taken to ensure that pupils focus on learning concepts rather than learning tools

Teaching UbiComp with Sense

Modern computer science education has to take account of the recent changes towards smart ubiquitous computing devices. In addition, existing programming languages are needlessly difficult for novice programmers to learn concepts. We have developed Sense, an extension to the graphical programming language Scratch, and an associated sensor/actuator board. Together, these will allow novice undergraduate students to quickly develop their own smart devices while learning the fundamentals of programming. Students will first study with Sense in 2011 but developmental feedback has been positive

Teaching UbiComp with Sense

Modern computer science education has to take account of the recent changes towards smart ubiquitous computing devices. In addition, existing programming languages are needlessly difficult for novice programmers to learn concepts. We have developed Sense, an extension to the graphical programming language Scratch, and an associated sensor/actuator board. Together, these will allow novice undergraduate students to quickly develop their own smart devices while learning the fundamentals of programming. Students will first study with Sense in 2011 but developmental feedback has been positive

Creating Science Online Learning Media Using Scratch App Block Programming

A difficulty faced by science teachers in online teaching is the inability to apply science materials straight to the students. This research examined how Scratch app block programming can be used on a personal computer or tablet to create science instructional tools to be used online. It was found that the steps to do so are: (1) downloading the Scratch app and running the file; (2) creating designs for the project with e.g. backdrops, paint, costumes; (3) coding or programming the scripts while choosing blocks in block palettes for the science project; (4) dragging and dropping the blocks to the script area for setting the parameter, operator, control, motion, look, sound, sensing and motion block inputs for the program; and (5) saving and running the block code/script in the scripts area. The researchers found that the Scratch app was effective in creating an online medium for learning about science and applying science concepts in everyday life. Keywords: science learning, measurement, online learning, scratch app, block programming, computational thinkin

Teaching Computer Science to 5-7 year-olds: An initial study with Scratch, Cubelets and unplugged computing

Changes to school curriculums increasingly require the introduction of computer science concepts to younger children. This practical report compares three existing tools for teaching computer science concepts: unplugged computing, tangible computing and MIT's Scratch. We specifically focus on the use of these tools for school pupils aged 5--7. We describe a comparative study with 28 pupils from three rural UK primary schools that explores engagement with, and effectiveness of, each tool. As far as we are aware this is the first such comparative study of its kind. We demonstrate that the studied tools can be used to successfully introduce core computer science concepts to pupils as young as 5 years of age, that the methods used by teachers to deliver computing curriculums may greatly impact the learning outcomes, and that particular care needs to be taken to ensure that pupils focus on learning concepts rather than learning tools

LMC + Scratch: a recipe to construct a mental model of program execution

Understanding how programs execute is one of the critical activities in the learning journey of a programmer. A novice constructs a mental model of program execution while learning programming. Any misconceptions at this stage lead to the development of a discrepant mental model. If left untreated, learning in advanced subjects like data structures and compiler construction may suffer. One of the ways to prevent the situation is carefully and explicitly unveiling the details of program execution. We employed Little Man Computer (LMC) for this purpose. Its interactive visual interface helped them internalise how software interacted with the hardware to achieve the programmer's objective. After spending a few sessions on the programming of LMC, we moved to Scratch. Scratch is a much higher-level language than the LMC assembly. So, while introducing Scratch programming constructs, we mapped the LMC equivalents of these instructions. The strategy helped evade several misconceptions by developing a deep understanding of the program execution model. It also served as a building block for introducing other concepts like state, abstraction, the need for higher-level languages and the role of compilers etc. We tried this approach in an Introduction to Computer Science module where most students had zero or very minimal exposure to programming. We received positive feedback from students and other fellow teachers teaching in the subsequent semesters

Algorithm As A Problem Solving Technique For Teaching And Learning Of The Malay Language

Computational thinking or CT refers to the thought processes involved in expressing solutions as computational steps or algorithms that can be carried out by a computer. CT is not merely using software or computer programs alone but is also interlinked with information and communication technology (ICT) and computer science based on problems; tools; action (praxis); solutions; concepts; and social needs. Hence, the aim of the study was to determine the effectiveness of using scratch program to teach Malay language subject. As part of the methodology, 32, 4th year students in a primary school of Seremban district participated in the study. A case study was used. The teachers teach Malay language subject using scratch programs with the theme of agriculture and title of food product from agriculture. The students were to arrange the basic words into grammatical sentences based on the scratch program and write a cake recipe using an algorithmic technique, a series of instructions contained in the scratch program. This conceptual teaching and learning algorithm was conducted in five steps namely the induction set; step 1; step 2; step 3; and enrichment and recovery. The result of this study shows that students could understand the concepts of algorithms taught and did not require recovery activities. This implies that the algorithm concept of how to prepare a cake through a scratch program has been fully understood by the students. Students are also excited about the algorithmic techniques and the scratch program generated. As a conclusion, the student's reaction as they remain focused throughout the session shows that the use of algorithms and scratch programs is better than conventional methods in teaching the Malay Languag

Algorithm as a problem solving technique for teaching and learning of the Malay language

Computational thinking or CT refers to the thought processes involved in expressing solutions as computational steps or algorithms that can be carried out by a computer. CT is not merely using software or computer programs alone but is also interlinked with information and communication technology (ICT) and computer science based on problems; tools; action (praxis); solutions; concepts; and social needs. Hence, the aim of the study was to determine the effectiveness of using scratch program to teach Malay language subject. As part of the methodology, 32, 4th year students in a primary school of Seremban district participated in the study. A case study was used. The teachers teach Malay language subject using scratch programs with the theme of agriculture and title of food product from agriculture. The students were to arrange the basic words into grammatical sentences based on the scratch program and write a cake recipe using an algorithmic technique, a series of instructions contained in the scratch program. This conceptual teaching and learning algorithm was conducted in five steps namely the induction set; step 1; step 2; step 3; and enrichment and recovery. The result of this study shows that students could understand the concepts of algorithms taught and did not require recovery activities. This implies that the algorithm concept of how to prepare a cake through a scratch program has been fully understood by the students. Students are also excited about the algorithmic techniques and the scratch program generated. As a conclusion, the student's reaction as they remain focused throughout the session shows that the use of algorithms and scratch programs is better than conventional methods in teaching the Malay Language

Visual and Textual Programming Languages: A Systematic Review of the Literature

It is well documented, and has been the topic of much research, that Computer Science courses tend to have higher than average drop out rates at third level. This is a problem that needs to be addressed with urgency but also caution. The required number of Computer Science graduates is growing every year but the number of graduates is not meeting this demand and one way that this problem can be alleviated is to encourage students at an early age towards studying Computer Science courses. This paper presents a systematic literature review on the role of visual and textual programming languages when learning to program, particularly as a first programming language. The approach is systematic, in that a structured search of electronic resources has been conducted, and the results are presented and quantitatively analysed. This study will give insight into whether or not the current approaches to teaching young learners programming are viable, and examines what we can do to increase the interest and retention of these students as they progress through their education.Comment: 18 pages (including 2 bibliography pages), 3 figure

Pirate plunder: game-based computational thinking using scratch blocks

Policy makers worldwide argue that children should be taught how technology works, and that the ‘computational thinking’ skills developed through programming are useful in a wider context. This is causing an increased focus on computer science in primary and secondary education. Block-based programming tools, like Scratch, have become ubiquitous in primary education (5 to 11-years-old) throughout the UK. However, Scratch users often struggle to detect and correct ‘code smells’ (bad programming practices) such as duplicated blocks and large scripts, which can lead to programs that are difficult to understand. These ‘smells’ are caused by a lack of abstraction and decomposition in programs; skills that play a key role in computational thinking. In Scratch, repeats (loops), custom blocks (procedures) and clones (instances) can be used to correct these smells. Yet, custom blocks and clones are rarely taught to children under 11-years-old. We describe the design of a novel educational block-based programming game, Pirate Plunder, which aims to teach these skills to children aged 9-11. Players use Scratch blocks to navigate around a grid, collect items and interact with obstacles. Blocks are explained in ‘tutorials’; the player then completes a series of ‘challenges’ before attempting the next tutorial. A set of Scratch blocks, including repeats, custom blocks and clones, are introduced in a linear difficulty progression. There are two versions of Pirate Plunder; one that uses a debugging-first approach, where the player is given a program that is incomplete or incorrect, and one where each level begins with an empty program. The game design has been developed through iterative playtesting. The observations made during this process have influenced key design decisions such as Scratch integration, difficulty progression and reward system. In future, we will evaluate Pirate Plunder against a traditional Scratch curriculum and compare the debugging-first and non-debugging versions in a series of studies