Introducing Computational Thinking in K-12 Education: Historical, Epistemological, Pedagogical, Cognitive, and Affective Aspects

Introduction of scientific and cultural aspects of Computer Science (CS) (called "Computational Thinking" - CT) in K-12 education is fundamental. We focus on three crucial areas. 1. Historical, philosophical, and pedagogical aspects. What are the big ideas of CS we must teach? What are the historical and pedagogical contexts in which CT emerged, and why are relevant? What is the relationship between learning theories (e.g., constructivism) and teaching approaches (e.g., plugged and unplugged)? 2. Cognitive aspects. What is the sentiment of generalist teachers not trained to teach CS? What misconceptions do they hold about concepts like CT and "coding"? 3. Affective and motivational aspects. What is the impact of personal beliefs about intelligence (mindset) and about CS ability? What the role of teaching approaches? This research has been conducted both through historical and philosophical argumentation, and through quantitative and qualitative studies (both on nationwide samples and small significant ones), in particular through the lens of (often exaggerated) claims about transfer from CS to other skills. Four important claims are substantiated. 1. CS should be introduced in K-12 as a tool to understand and act in our digital world, and to use the power of computation for meaningful learning. CT is the conceptual sediment of that learning. We designed a curriculum proposal in this direction. 2. The expressions CT (useful to distantiate from digital literacy) and "coding" can cause misconceptions among teachers, who focus mainly on transfer to general thinking skills. Both disciplinary and pedagogical teacher training is hence needed. 3. Some plugged and unplugged teaching tools have intrinsic constructivist characteristics that can facilitate CS learning, as shown with proposed activities. 4. Growth mindset is not automatically fostered by CS, while not studying CS can foster fixed beliefs. Growth mindset can be fostered by creative computing, leveraging on its constructivist aspects

Δημιουργία εκπαιδευτικού υλικού για την υπολογιστική σκέψη

Διπλωματική εργασία--Πανεπιστήμιο Μακεδονίας, Θεσσαλονίκη, 2019.Η Υπολογιστική Σκέψη, που αποτελεί βασική έννοια της Υπολογιστικής Επιστήμης, τα τελευταία χρόνια έχει προσελκύσει ξανά το ενδιαφέρον της επιστημονικής κοινότητας. Μέσα από την εφαρμογή των ιδιαίτερων χαρακτηριστικών της διευκολύνεται, μεταξύ άλλων, η διαχείριση της πολυπλοκότητας και της επίλυσης προβλημάτων. Η δεξιότητα της Υπολογιστικής Σκέψης αποτελεί απαραίτητο εργαλείο της καθημερινής ζωής καθώς έχει εφαρμογή όχι μόνο στην Επιστήμη των Υπολογιστών και την ευρύτερη Ακαδημαϊκή Κοινότητα, αλλά και σε ποικίλους άλλους τομείς. Για τους λόγους αυτούς κρίνεται απαραίτητη η ενσωμάτωση της εκμάθησής της σε όλες τις βαθμίδες εκπαίδευσης. Σκοπός της παρούσας εργασίας ήταν η δημιουργία εκπαιδευτικού υλικού που θα συνέβαλε στην ανάπτυξη των δεξιοτήτων της Υπολογιστικής Σκέψης. Προκειμένου να δημιουργηθεί το υλικό αυτό προηγήθηκε η μελέτη και διατύπωση των ορισμών και των χαρακτηριστικών της Υπολογιστικής Σκέψης, εξετάστηκαν οι τρόποι ενσωμάτωσής της σε προγράμματα σπουδών και αναζητήθηκαν τα διαθέσιμα εργαλεία και πλαίσια αξιολόγησής της. Στην παρούσα εργασία, η ενσωμάτωση της Υπολογιστικής Σκέψης στο προπτυχιακό μάθημα «Εισαγωγή στην Πληροφορική» του Τμήματος Πληροφορικής του Α.Π.Θ. πραγματοποιήθηκε με τη χρήση της γλώσσας προγραμματισμού Python. Το εκπαιδευτικό υλικό που δημιουργήθηκε είχε τη μορφή υποθετικών σεναρίων και βασίστηκε στην διδακτέα ύλη του μαθήματος. Η συμμετοχή των εκπαιδευόμενων στις εργασίες ήταν προαιρετική. Από τη στατιστική ανάλυση των δεδομένων προέκυψε ότι οι φοιτητές που παρέδωσαν τις προαιρετικές εργασίες φάνηκε να ενίσχυσαν τις δεξιότητες της Υπολογιστικής τους Σκέψης, σε σύγκριση με τους φοιτητές που δεν τις παρέδωσαν, όπως αξιολογήθηκε από τη βαθμολογία που έλαβαν στην τελική γραπτή εξέταση. Το εύρημα αυτό φαίνεται να επιβεβαιώνει την εκπλήρωση του σκοπού για τον οποίο δημιουργήθηκε το εκπαιδευτικό υλικό. Η αξιολόγηση των δεξιοτήτων των φοιτητών πραγματοποιήθηκε και με τη χορήγηση ενός τεστ Υπολογιστικής Σκέψης, αλλά εξαιτίας της μικρής συμμετοχής των φοιτητών δεν κατέστη δυνατή η στατιστική τους επεξεργασία για την εξαγωγή συμπερασμάτων

Programming unplugged : insights from theoretical models and teacher experiences.

Unplugged approaches to teaching Computational Thinking (CT), which are based on activities that do not require the use of a digital device or programming, are widely used in computing education. Evidence from the literature and practice indicates that this approach can be used successfully, although views on the value of Unplugged computing have been varied. Recently it was found that rather than comparing Unplugged with other approaches, combining Unplugged with teaching programming enabled students to achieve the same level of programming competence, but with higher self-efficacy, and a larger vocabulary in the programming language compared to a similar time span spent on programming alone. Despite this improved understanding of how to use Unplugged activities, there is little understanding of why they are effective and what ways they can be combined with plugged-in exercises effectively in a programming classroom and for teachers’ professional development (PD). In this thesis we use practical observations viewed through the lenses of theories of learning to understand why the Unplugged approach is effective. Computational Thinking in school curricula is about teaching students to understand how to use computation to solve problems, to create, and to discover new questions that can fruitfully be explored in other disciplines and professions as well as Computer Science. Teachers need to be able to effectively communicate the ideas of Computational Thinking to students and apply these within the context of their classroom. Our initial studies with teachers indicated that understanding the nature of the commonly identi- fied difficulties and confusion caused by computer jargon among teachers is important for finding ways for effective classroom delivery. We found that the concerns from teach- ers finding computer jargon difficult can be because the computational context in which they are applied makes them difficult for teachers to understand, rather than not knowing their meanings in the first place, and appropriate support can enable teachers to learn the techniques and skills that the terminology refers to. Using Unplugged material in teachers’ professional development, we tried to understand how they perceive the utility of Unplugged, particularly in introductory programming and understanding the jargon. Findings indicate that alternating Unplugged content in introductory programming does not hinder the teachers’ teaching efficacy and self-efficacy towards computer programming, yet teachers can be equipped with more content within the same time frame as a conventional teaching approach. Another lens that we use to understand how Unplugged and programming relate is the Notional Machine (NM), an abstract model of a computer created by teachers to facilitate learners’ understanding. It represents something they can (mentally) interact with to draw learners’ attention to hidden aspects of computing, is implicit in all programming teaching methods, and is a key to successful programming. We explore how Unplugged activities seem to have a close connection with Notional Machine, and therefore use the lens of Notional Machine to understand the relationship between Un- plugged and programming. Reviewing the existing Unplugged activities through this lens, we can understand where Unplugged has been successful in teaching programming and why. We also identify the possible gaps in Unplugged activities that need addressing for it to be further successful as a programming education tool. Accordingly, in our professional development experimental studies we developed and trialled new Unplugged activities focusing on modeling basic programming concepts, and studied their usefulness in alternating with conventional programming teaching practices. The usefulness of Unplugged activities in introductory programming was then considered through the lens of Semantic Waves, a concept that describes an ideal learning journey of a novice learner over a course of learning while shifting between expert and novice understanding, abstract and concrete context, and technical and simple meanings. Studying the behavior of the Semantic Waves of Unplugged activities we saw how, heuristically, the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) can be seen as a differentiation of a semantic profile of an Unplugged activity, essentially shifting learners back and forth between existing and new knowledge, while learning a programming concept. The Semantic Waves of Unplugged activities used to model programming concepts were analysed and compared with a plugged-in only lessons that taught the same concepts to show how alternating Unplugged activities with plugged-in experience successfully covers a wider semantic range, indicating the possibility of avoiding both learner anxiety as well as boredom, and enabling teachers to find better teaching strategies that suit their classrooms. Semantic profiles show the balance between what learners know and what they should know about what is actually happening, and the use of Unplugged activities supports the flow needed for creating effective semantic profiles, particularly in programming classrooms

Teaching informatics to novices: big ideas and the necessity of optimal guidance

This thesis reports on the two main areas of our research: introductory programming as the traditional way of accessing informatics and cultural teaching informatics through unconventional pathways. The research on introductory programming aims to overcome challenges in traditional programming education, thus increasing participation in informatics. Improving access to informatics enables individuals to pursue more and better professional opportunities and contribute to informatics advancements. We aimed to balance active, student-centered activities and provide optimal support to novices at their level. Inspired by Productive Failure and exploring the concept of notional machine, our work focused on developing Necessity Learning Design, a design to help novices tackle new programming concepts. Using this design, we implemented a learning sequence to introduce arrays and evaluated it in a real high-school context. The subsequent chapters discuss our experiences teaching CS1 in a remote-only scenario during the COVID-19 pandemic and our collaborative effort with primary school teachers to develop a learning module for teaching iteration using a visual programming environment. The research on teaching informatics principles through unconventional pathways, such as cryptography, aims to introduce informatics to a broader audience, particularly younger individuals that are less technical and professional-oriented. It emphasizes the importance of understanding informatics's cultural and scientific aspects to focus on the informatics societal value and its principles for active citizenship. After reflecting on computational thinking and inspired by the big ideas of science and informatics, we describe our hands-on approach to teaching cryptography in high school, which leverages its key scientific elements to emphasize its social aspects. Additionally, we present an activity for teaching public-key cryptography using graphs to explore fundamental concepts and methods in informatics and mathematics and their interdisciplinarity. In broadening the understanding of informatics, these research initiatives also aim to foster motivation and prime for more professional learning of informatics

The Impact of the English Computing Curriculum on Young People as Delivered at Key Stage 3

In 2014 the UK became one of the first countries to formally include computing in its National Curriculum Framework. The new Computing Curriculum had a broader focus, including fundamentals of computer science, computer programming and digital literacy in order to prepare young people for the digital economy and future digital world. This doctoral research focuses on the impact of the new computing curriculum on young people at Key Stage 3, particularly using three core themes of the computing curriculum: digital economy, digital literacy, computational thinking. The analysis used these core themes with thematic coding to answer the research question: To what extent do the young people subject to the English computing curriculum (as delivered at Key Stage 3) and their teachers, feel it prepares young people for a digital economy and the future digital world, specifically in terms of being digital literate and being able to think computationally? The research fieldwork was conducted across 3 secondary schools in the northwest of England and comprised of qualitative group interviews with 54 young people and extended individual interviews with 9 teachers. This research found that young people did not feel the computing curriculums was adequately preparing them for the digital economy – specifically they did not feel they were learning to be digitally literate and considered that computational thinking was something that people were either naturally good at or not. This thesis contributes to the field of Computing Education by being one of the few studies to use qualitative methods to understand young people’s experience of computing education

The Impact of the English Computing Curriculum on Young People as Delivered at Key Stage 3

In 2014 the UK became one of the first countries to formally include computing in its National Curriculum Framework. The new Computing Curriculum had a broader focus, including fundamentals of computer science, computer programming and digital literacy in order to prepare young people for the digital economy and future digital world. This doctoral research focuses on the impact of the new computing curriculum on young people at Key Stage 3, particularly using three core themes of the computing curriculum: digital economy, digital literacy, computational thinking. The analysis used these core themes with thematic coding to answer the research question: To what extent do the young people subject to the English computing curriculum (as delivered at Key Stage 3) and their teachers, feel it prepares young people for a digital economy and the future digital world, specifically in terms of being digital literate and being able to think computationally? The research fieldwork was conducted across 3 secondary schools in the northwest of England and comprised of qualitative group interviews with 54 young people and extended individual interviews with 9 teachers. This research found that young people did not feel the computing curriculums was adequately preparing them for the digital economy – specifically they did not feel they were learning to be digitally literate and considered that computational thinking was something that people were either naturally good at or not. This thesis contributes to the field of Computing Education by being one of the few studies to use qualitative methods to understand young people’s experience of computing education

Теоретико-методичні основи проєктування, адміністрування та використання хмаро орієнтованого середовища навчання майбутніх учителів інформатики (дисертація)

У дисертації подано теоретичне обґрунтування та нове розв’язання проблеми використання хмаро орієнтованого середовища навчання в процесі підготовки здобувачів другого та третього ступенів вищої освіти за спеціальністю «014.09 Середня освіта (Інформатика)». Досліджено зарубіжний і вітчизняний досвід застосування хмарних технологій у навчанні майбутніх учителів інформатики. У дисертації виконано моделювання хмаро орієнтованого середовища навчання майбутніх учителів інформатики, у результаті якого обґрунтовано концептуальну, дидактичну, сервісну моделі та модель адміністрування середовища. Визначено послідовність етапів розгортання складників хмаро орієнтованого середовища навчання учителів інформатики. Обґрунтовано необхідність розгортання в ЗВО хмарних платформ, що реалізують модель «інфраструктура як сервіс». Визначено структуру та особливості реалізації методики використання ХОСН для розвитку фахової компетентності майбутніх учителів інформатики, що здобувають освіту на першому та другому ступенях. Обґрунтовано використання на першому ступені вищої освіти складників хмаро орієнтованого середовища як засобів організації освітньої діяльності майбутніх учителів інформатики. Розроблено зміст і методику курсів базового освітньо-професійного рівня та вибіркового курсу «Основи хмарних технологій» як вибіркового складника освітніх програм. Наведено аналіз результатів педагогічного експерименту. Отримано дані, що свідчать про готовність здобувачів до застосування складників хмаро орієнтованого середовища та вивчення основ хмарних технологій. Підтверджено гіпотезу про ефективність методики використання хмаро орієнтованого середовища для розвитку складників фахової компетентності здобувачів

Actas del XXIV Workshop de Investigadores en Ciencias de la Computación: WICC 2022

Compilación de las ponencias presentadas en el XXIV Workshop de Investigadores en Ciencias de la Computación (WICC), llevado a cabo en Mendoza en abril de 2022.Red de Universidades con Carreras en Informátic