Bringing computational thinking to teachers' training

Two studies were conducted to examine the use of grounded embodied pedagogy, construction of Imaginary Worlds (Study 1), and context of instructional materials (Study 2) for developing learners' Computational Thinking (CT) Skills and Concept knowledge during the construction of digital artifacts using Scratch, a block-based programming language. Utilizing a conceptual framework for grounded embodied pedagogy called Instructional Embodiment, learners physically enacted (Direct Embodiment) and mentally simulated (Imagined Embodiment) the actions and events as presented within pre-defined Scripts. Instructional Embodiment utilizes action, perception, and environment to create a dynamic, interactive teaching & learning scenario that builds upon previous research in embodied teaching and learning. The two studies described herein examined the effects of Instructional Embodiment, Imaginary World Construction, and Context on the development of specific Computational Thinking Concepts and Skills. In particular, certain CT Concepts, such as Conditionals, Variables, Thread Synchronization, Collision Detection, & Events, and CT Skills, such as abstraction and pattern recognition, were identified and measured within the learners' individual digital artifacts. Presence and/or frequency of these Concepts and Skills were used to determine the extent of Computational Thinking development. In Study 1, fifty-six sixth- and seventh-grade students participated in a fifteen-session curricular program during the academic school day. This study examined the type of instruction and continuity of Imaginary World Construction on the development of certain CT Skills and Concepts used in a visual novel created in Scratch. Main effects were found for learners who physically embodied the pre-defined instructional materials: embodying the pre-defined Scripts led to the learners using significantly more ‘speech’ Blocks in their projects and more Absolute Positioning Blocks for ‘motion’ than those who did not physically embody the same Scripts. Significant main effects were also found for continuity of Imaginary World Construction: learners who were instructed to continue the premise of the first digital artifact (Instructional Artifact) implemented significantly more computational structures in their second digital artifact (Unique Artifact) than those who were instructed to create a Unique Artifact with a premise of their own design. In Study 2, seventy-eight sixth- and seventh-grade students participated in a seventeen-session curricular program during the academic school day. This study examined the type of instruction and context of instructional materials on the development of CT Skills and Concepts during the construction of a video game using Scratch. Similar to Study 1, findings suggest that physically embodying the actions presented within the pre-defined instructional materials leads to greater implementation of many of these same structures during individual artifact construction. The study also showed that as the pre-defined Scripts become more complex (e.g. single-threaded to multi-threaded), the effect of physical embodiment on the development of CT Skills and complex CT Concept structures becomes less pronounced. Findings from this study also suggest that Context has a significant effect on identifying & implementing the CT Skill pattern recognition: learning CT Concepts from an Unfamiliar Context had a significant positive effect on the implementation of both Broadcast/Receive couplings and Conditional Logic & Operator patterns. In sum, the findings suggest that the type of instruction, the continuity of the Imaginary World being constructed, and the context of the instructional materials all play a significant role in the learners' ability to develop certain Computational Thinking Skills and Concept knowledge. The findings also suggest that a physically embodied approach to teaching abstract concepts that is grounded in an unfamiliar context is the most effective way to integrate a grounded embodied approach to pedagogy within a formal instructional setting.

La educación literaria, además del desarrollo de destrezas cognitivas, debe fomentar la capacidad crítica del alumnado para que pueda tomar conciencia, entre otras cuestiones, de la desigualdad existente entre hombres y mujeres. La lectura se convierte en un instrumento idóneo para promover la igualdad de género y erradicar los estereotipos sexistas dentro y fuera de las aulas. A través de la selección de lecturas, la revisión y ampliación del canon literario, las experiencias de aula, que se presentan, pretenden no solo visibilizar la labor y la aportación de las escritoras al mundo de la literatura, sino que también ofrecen lecturas alternativas que promulguen nuevos modelos de identificación, más justos e igualitarios, para ellas y para ellos. Bajo estas reflexiones, desarrollamos una serie de propuestas de intervención didáctica, desde el área de Lengua y Literatura, dirigidas al alumnado universitario que se prepara para ser futuro docente tanto de educación Primaria como de Secundaria.

Computational thinking (CT) is becoming increasingly important as a learning content. Subject-integrated approaches aim to develop CT within other subjects like mathematics. The question is how exactly CT can be integrated and learned in mathematics classrooms. In a case study involving 12 sixth-grade learners, CT activities were explored that learners engage in when drawing geometric figures with a visual programming language. The empirical findings indicate differences not only across various CT activities but also within a single CT activity. Subcategories were developed to describe these differences. Implications for further research and classroom practice are discussed.

Computational thinking (CT) is a problem solving approach that is becoming prominent in educational settings. To help ease students into the world of programming, visual programming tools such as Scratch are used. Researchers are also developing various tools in an attempt to assess students' proficiency in thought processes that make up CT. However, current existing tools mainly utilize students' final code products when evaluating their demonstration of CT, losing their opportunity to understand students' actual learning and programming procedures. This work presents a logging methodology that records programming actions of students in the Scratch block coding environment to enable an in-depth analysis of students' programming process. With this logging methodology, we conducted a case study with introductory programmers to study how the logs of students' programming processes can provide insight into how they practice CT during programming.

Choosing the right way of programming can prevent learning difficulties, contribute to increasing students’ motivation to learn, and make teaching process more effective. The article is focused on assessing which way of programming, visual or textual, is appropriate for intermediate and advanced learners in the context of creating mobile applications. Three ways of programming were examined during an extracurricular programming course for teenagers aged 12-18 with previous programming experience and positive attitude to programming. The course was aimed at programming mobile applications. MIT App Inventor 2 as a visual programming tool and Android Studio with Java as a textual programming tool were chosen. Due to the gap between two programming tools, the method of transition from visual to textual programming using Java Bridge Code Generator and Java Bridge Library as mediators was implemented. The research results are based on the analysis of data obtained from participatory observations, interviews with students, questionnaires and source codes of applications created by students. The case study shows a difference in students’ performance between visual and textual programming in favour of visual programming. However, the difference in students' attitudes toward visual and textual programming was the opposite in favour of textual programming, regardless of age and learning performance. These results suggest that App Inventor visual programming environment is advantageous at the beginning of learning programming, but may be perceived as too limited and not enough motivating for intermediate and advanced students, even though programming in Android Studio professional text-based environment is too challenging for them.

The objectives of this article are, first, to assess the self-awareness that future primary school teachers have on their role in integrating international students into school and society; second, to determine the importance they give to multiculturalism and multilingualism to develop the communicative competence of their international students. This work is an extension of previous research, started in 2019, with the overall objective of analyzing the sustainability of education systems regarding their current cultural and linguistic diversity. The research question is whether future primary teachers know both assessed aspects. The main problem lies in the initial training in the national language. Its initial design contemplated a context where all students were native speakers. However, the percentage of students with different cultural and linguistic backgrounds has continued to increase. Therefore, communicative competence is crucial for their academic and social inclusion. Through quantitative methodology, the future primary education teachers participated in a survey that addressed these issues. The results demonstrated that training in this aspect makes them aware of their role as mediators and social agents for inclusion. According to the findings, revising initial teacher training in didactics of the language is crucial.

Apart from dealing with pupils in class, teachers are required to have a good command of maintaining pedagogical documentation daily, throughout the school year. This way, they carry out all administrative activities that ensure a thoughtfully planned realization of the teaching process. Fundamental competencies needed to perform the job are initially acquired at university and further developed through professional pedagogical practice and work. This paper provides an insight into the self-evaluation of the competence of students, future teachers in primary education to maintain pedagogical documentation and its connection to taking the School Regulation and Documentation course at the Faculty of Teacher Education of the University of Zagreb. The research results indicate that this competence is greater in students who have taken the course, compared to the ones that have not. On the other hand, both groups of students blame the lack of the competence on the inability to apply theoretical knowledge in the teaching practice. All students, nevertheless, acknowledge the importance of enrolling in at least one course related to school administration. They believe such courses enable future teachers to acquire essential skills needed to competently maintain pedagogical documentation upon employment

Visual programming language research has evolved greatly since its early days. At first, attempts at visual programming mostly took the form of flowchart-like diagrams. But in recent years, a wide number of innovative approaches have been incorporated into visual languages, including object-oriented programming, form-based programming, programming by demonstration, and dataflow programming. Unfortunately, while many of these systems represent important ideas, only a few have been successful as complete visual programming languages. This tutorial explains why this is true, and describes ways in which the problem can be addressed. This tutorial explores the issues behind the successes and failures of earlier approaches from a design perspective. It identifies characteristics of successful visual programming languages, and explains how to design an object-oriented language that maintains those characteristics. It shows solutions to a number of problems by looking at existing visual programming languages, including Prograph.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the integration of a cognitive apprenticeship model into an educational technology Web-based course for pre-service primary through secondary teacher education. Specifically, this study presents an overview of methods, tools and media used to foster the integration of a cognitive apprenticeship model, and presents the types of barriers and enablers encountered when attempting to participate in a computer-mediated cognitive apprenticeship. The methodological framework for this investigation is a qualitative case study of an educational technology course for pre-service primary through secondary teacher education. The findings of this study reveal that various tools, methods and media were used to varying degrees of success to foster cognitive apprenticeship methods in a Web-based learning environment. The goal of this study was to better understand the pragmatics, suitability, affordances and constraints of integrating cognitive apprenticeship methods in a Web-based distance education course for teacher education.DOI: 10.1080/09687760701482218

The purpose of this study is to investigate the integration of a cognitive apprenticeship model into an educational technology Web-based course for pre-service primary through secondary teacher education. Specifically, this study presents an overview of methods, tools and media used to foster the integration of a cognitive apprenticeship model, and presents the types of barriers and enablers encountered when attempting to participate in a computer-mediated cognitive apprenticeship. The methodological framework for this investigation is a qualitative case study of an educational technology course for pre-service primary through secondary teacher education. The findings of this study reveal that various tools, methods and media were used to varying degrees of success to foster cognitive apprenticeship methods in a Web-based learning environment. The goal of this study was to better understand the pragmatics, suitability, affordances and constraints of integrating cognitive apprenticeship methods in a Web-based distance education course for teacher education.DOI: 10.1080/09687760701482218

Objective: The benefits of computational thinking have become an increasingly acknowledged and popular subject of investigation among researchers. This research aims to gather detail and comprehensive information regarding the learning of computational thinking skills in mathematics at various educational levels through a systematic literature review approach. Methods: With a focus on education level, instructional media, mathematics content, and the components of computational thinking addressed by previous researchers, this paper applied the PRISMA Systematic Review Protocol to offer a comprehensive synthesis of sixteen empirical studies retrieved from the Scopus database on the implementation of computational thinking in mathematics education. Findings: Most research on fostering computational thinking in mathematics education is concentrated at the elementary and junior high school. To optimize the development of computational thinking in mathematics, teachers should be reminded of strategies to support students, particularly through activities involving simulations using various instructional media. Examples of such media include programming platforms, visualization tools, and interactive simulations and games. Number operations and geometry are the mathematical content most widely used for fostering computational thinking. Algorithmic thinking, a crucial component in fostering computational thinking among elementary school students, helps them develop a strong foundation for understanding higher mathematical concepts. Conclusion: A systematic review of computational thinking in learning mathematics at the various education level is conducted in this study. The chosen studies were systematically analyzed for the advancement of computational thinking in learning mathematics to provide new an insight information for educators and stakeholders. Keywords: computational thinking, mathematics, systematic literature review. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23960/jpmipa/v25i1.pp34-52

This community service initiative was conducted to strengthen 21st-century skills, particularly computational, critical, and creative thinking, among pre-service teachers at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). The program was designed as a training workshop that combined interactive lectures, hands-on activities, and collaborative problem-solving tasks to expose participants to innovative approaches in teaching and learning. A total of sixty pre-service teachers participated in the program, engaging in activities that integrated computational thinking strategies with opportunities for critical reflection and creative expression. Evaluation data were collected through pre- and post-training questionnaires, reflective journals, and group discussions. The findings revealed notable improvements in participants’ ability to analyze problems systematically, apply logical reasoning, and generate innovative solutions within educational contexts. Furthermore, the participants expressed positive attitudes toward adopting these skills in their future teaching practice. This initiative demonstrates the potential of structured community service programs to support the development of essential 21st-century competencies among pre-service teachers, contributing to the broader goal of preparing future educators to meet the challenges of contemporary education

The development of educational projects in the framework of the Erasmus+ programme offers a very positive scenario for the implementation of STEAM practices. This chapter presents a project included in this programme carried out with secondary school students to learn basic cybersecurity rules and improve their digital literacy, working with the subjects of English and mathematics. To reinforce the learning of the contents and expand this field of literacy, they have created an interactive questionnaire in a virtual reality environment by coding the interaction of all the objects included with a visual programming language thanks to the CoSpaces Edu software. With this, the students have been working on concepts related to computational thinking such as decomposition or the creation of algorithms. This work is an example of how to include computational thinking practices in a transversal way, working in subjects such as mathematics or the learning of a foreign language.

Problem and goal. Computational thinking has been introduced in many countries around the world and teachers are working intensely to incorporate programming activities in the classroom. However, teachers are faced with several challenges due to the fact that there is still little research conducted focusing on programming education for younger children, that programming didactics is a rather new phenomenon for the K-9 educational system, and that K-9 teachers have little training with regards to programming. In Sweden for instance, programming has been introduced in several subjects and not as a subject in its own, which create a pressure on teachers to utilize programming as an instrument to teach and enhance learning of different subjects such as mathematics. Methodology. In this paper, we report on a larger lesson study conducted in a primary school (sixth grade) in Sweden with a total of 155 participating pupils. The aim of the lesson was to study whether the visual programming languages, Scratch , in particular, can be used to teach computational thinking, mathematics and social science in an interdisciplinary way. Results. Thus, the paper more specifically presents findings related to: 1) reflections of the use of lesson study methodology to develop programming education; 2) how programming can be utilized as an instrument to teach mathematics as well as social sciences in an interdisciplinary way; and 3) the didactical strategies employed by the teachers. Conclusion. The evidence from this study suggests that the interdisciplinary character of the lesson which incorporates learning goals of mathematics, social science and programming was highly beneficial. The pupils gained a better understanding of learning material by drawing, digitalizing and animating their ideas in Scratch .

The development of computational thinking skills is essential for information management, problem-solving, and understanding human behavior. Thus, the aim of the experience described here was to incorporate computational thinking practices to improve learning in a first Python programming course using programming tools such as PSeInt, CodingBat, and the turtle graphic library. A quasi-experimental methodological design was used in which the experimental and control groups are in different academic semesters. Exploratory mixed research was carried out. The control and experimental group consisted of 41 and 36 students, respectively. The results show that with the use of support programming tools, such as PSeInt, CodingBat, Python turtle graphic library, and the incorporation of computational thinking practices, the experimental group students obtained better learning results. It is concluded that student performance and motivation in university programming courses can be improved by using proper tools that help the understanding of programming concepts and the skills development related to computational thinking, such as abstraction and algorithmic thinking.