Computational Thinking Curriculum

First off,  I love computational thinking and robotics, so please allow me to geek out a little bit.

Computational thinking is the practice of using the fundamentals of computer science in real-world situations, such as solving a problem or creating a design. The four main areas of computational thinking are:

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Fig. SD61, Computational Thinking


These four concepts are must-learn skills when introducing robotics and computer programming into a classroom. Students will need to recognize patterns within their code and create properly sequenced programming before their robot can complete a task. If the robot makes a wrong turn or fails to complete its job, decomposition allows students to break down the problem to find a solution.

While I am disappointed that there is no mention of robotics or computational thinking within the BC curriculum from kindergarten to grade 5, there are many ways to implement both ideas into everyday lessons. Computational thinking ideas, such as algorithm design, can be taught in English class by creating How-To Guides or sequencing stories. Math class can include a robotics component where students practice making patterns by programming their bee bots to do a dance. And students enjoy playing “Guess my number” by using decomposition to ask the best questions to discover the number the teacher has hidden.

To learn more about how computational thinking can be applied to literacy lessons, view this presentation (I warned you I was about to geek out) about the "Thinking Sideways" webinar.

Works Cited

“Computational Thinking.” SD61 Coding Plan, SD61, https://learn.sd61.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/sites/96/2018/04/ComputationalThinkingProductLogo-440x440.png. Accessed 8 May 2023.

Wing, Jeanette. “Computational Thinking.” Communications of the ACM (Association of Computing Machinery), Mar. 2006.

 


Comments

  1. KappaBattaMay 8, 2023 at 8:44 PM

    Matthew commenting here.
    Wow, I'm so glad you got to geek-out, Sara! Obviously you are passionate about this subject. Right away, that Computational Thinking graphic is a great image to help me understand the basics. Even better, that presentation to connect with literacy lessons is exactly what I need. Thank you.
    I bet you are dying to get robotics into elementary grades. Have you considered levelling up to high school to scratch that itch?

    ReplyDelete
  2. PhilMay 9, 2023 at 11:27 AM

    Hi Sara,
    I can tell your passion for this. I agree that while these things are not explicitly mentioned, you can definitely fit these things into other curriculum areas. I'm glad you mentioned bee bots as well. They're one of my favourite things to get out with younger students.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mrs Véro - Mme VéroMay 15, 2023 at 2:02 AM

    Hi Sara,
    I wondered what we might find in blogs when it was mentioned that we could include a surprise. Your Thinking Sideways presentation is a perfect example. Sharing one of your passions with us is so neat. I really like the poster The Computational Thinker from Barefoot Computing. It makes a good summary in addition to The Four Cornerstones board. We should display these resources or have them on hand when discussing pedagogical approaches with our teacher colleagues. Thank you also for the activities that link picture books and computational thinking.
    Thanks for sharing!
    -Véro

    ReplyDelete

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