scholarly journals A Cross-analysis of Block-based and Visual Programming Apps with Computer Science Student-Teachers

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 181 ◽  
Author(s):  
João ◽  
Nuno ◽  
Fábio ◽  
Ana
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Education ◽  
Science Teacher ◽  
Computer Science ◽  
Student Teachers ◽  
Computational Thinking ◽  
Visual Programming ◽  
The Core ◽  
Primary And Secondary Education ◽  
Block Based ◽  
Core Characteristics

In the last few years, it has been pointed out that teaching programming is a strong strategy to develop pupils’ competences in computational thinking (CT). In the Portuguese context, the curriculum changes in 2018 made programming and CT compulsory for every pupil in primary and secondary education. Nowadays, there is an information and communication technology (ICT) subject, taught by a computer science teacher in each school grade. In Portugal, to become a computer science teacher in primary and secondary education, it is compulsory to have a master’s degree in computer science education. This article reports on a pedagogical activity developed with student-teachers of a Master in Teaching Informatics at the University of Lisbon. Within the activities of the master’s program, we developed a cross-analysis of the core characteristics of 26 block-based and visual programming applications (apps) used to teach computational thinking and programming in school classes. In order to organize the analysis, a framework with several dimensions was developed and used by student-teachers to register the characteristics of each app. The product of this work is a comparative matrix mapping the core characteristics of each of the 26 apps that student-teachers used to select the most appropriate one for teaching programming and computational thinking according to each grade, age group and other characteristics.

Why Teach Coding to Early Elementary Learners

2021 ◽  
pp. 21-40
Author(s):  
Claudia M. Mihm
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Computer Science ◽  
Computational Thinking ◽  
Early Elementary ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
The Core ◽  
Core Concepts ◽  
Way Of Thinking

As coding and computer science become established domains in K-2 education, researchers and educators understand that children are learning more than skills when they learn to code – they are learning a new way of thinking and organizing thought. While these new skills are beneficial to future programming tasks, they also support the development of other crucial skills in early childhood education. This chapter explores the ways that coding supports computational thinking in young children and connects the core concepts of computational thinking to the broader K-2 context.

scholarly journals Effective measures to foster girls’ interest in secondary computer science education

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucia Happe ◽  
Barbora Buhnova ◽  
Anne Koziolek ◽  
Ingo Wagner
Keyword(s):  
Science Education ◽  
Secondary Education ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Computer Science ◽  
Computer Science Education ◽  
Primary And Secondary Education ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Effective Interventions

AbstractThe interest of girls in computing drops early during primary and secondary education, with minimal recovery in later education stages. In combination with the growing shortage of qualified computer science personnel, this is becoming a major issue, and also a target of numerous studies that examine measures, interventions, and strategies to boost girls’ commitment to computing. Yet, the results of existing studies are difficult to navigate, and hence are being very rarely employed in classrooms. In this paper, we summarize the existing body of knowledge on the effective interventions to recruit and retain girls in computer science education, intending to equip educators with a comprehensive and easy-to-navigate map of interventions recommended in the existing literature. To this end, we perform an aggregated umbrella literature review of 11 existing reviews on the topic, together accumulating joined knowledge from over 800 publications, and formulate the findings in a map of 22 concrete interventions structured in six groups according to their phase and purpose.

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

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Lockwood ◽  
Aidan Mooney
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Education ◽  
Computer Science ◽  
Computational Thinking

Computational Thinking has been described as an essential skill which everybody should learn. Since Wing popularised the term in 2006 increased focus and attention have been placed on Computational Thinking.The first aim of this systematic literary review is to give second-level educators, who are considering incorporating Computational Thinking into their classrooms, ideas and options about how to achieve this. The hope is also to present reasons as to why it is beneficial to teach Computational Thinking, along with potential issues.Secondly, we aim to present education researchers with an overview of what work has been carried out in the domain, as well as potential gaps that still exist.Thirdly, this is the first stage in a longer-term project to develop a Computational Thinking based curriculum which is taught using Computer Science. It is hoped that the problems and ideas that are presented here will underpin this curriculum.

scholarly journals Simulador de Robótica Educativa para la promoción del Pensamiento Computacional

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (63) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristian Manuel Ángel-Díaz ◽  
Eduardo Segredo ◽  
Rafael Arnay ◽  
Coromoto León
Keyword(s):  
Educational Institution ◽  
Computational Thinking ◽  
Software Tool ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Visual Programming ◽  
Free Software ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Block Based ◽  
Visual Programming Language ◽  
Algorithmic Thinking

Este trabajo presenta una herramienta Web libre y gratuita que facilita a cualquier centro educativo la enseñanza de conceptos básicos sobre robótica y programación y que, al mismo tiempo, permite desarrollar habilidades relacionadas con el pensamiento computacional: descomposición, abstracción, reconocimiento de patrones y pensamiento algorítmico. Dicha herramienta permite diseñar y personalizar un robot a través del uso de distintos tipos de sensores. Tras su creación, dicho robot se podrá poner a prueba en un entorno de simulación mediante distintos retos. En dicho entorno podremos definir el comportamiento del robot por medio de un lenguaje de programación visual basado en bloques. Dichos bloques permiten definir las acciones a llevar a cabo por el robot en función de la información recogida por los sensores con el objetivo de superar los desafíos propuestos. This work presents a free software tool that facilitates the teaching of basic robotics and programming concepts at any educational institution. At the same time, it allows the development of computational thinking skills to be carried out: decomposition, abstraction, pattern recognition and algorithmic thinking. This tool allows the design and configuration of a robot through the specification of different types of sensors. After designing the robot, its behaviour can be simulated by means of different challenges proposed to the user. This behaviour is defined through a block-based visual programming language. Blocks allow actions that the robot has to perform based on the information gathered by the different sensors to be defined in order to pass a challenge.

scholarly journals A História da Ciência na formação inicial de professores de ciências

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 2-14
Author(s):  
Isilda Teixeira Rodrigues
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Education ◽  
Science Teacher ◽  
History Of Science ◽  
Basic Education ◽  
Educational Levels ◽  
Primary And Secondary Education ◽  
Keywords History Of Science ◽  
History Of ◽  
Training Courses ◽  
Science Teacher Training

Resumo No Currículo do Ensino Básico em Portugal(1) considera-se importante que os alunos conheçam relatos de como ideias foram divulgadas, aceites, desenvolvidas, substituídas ou rejeitadas e ainda que reconheçam que o conhecimento científico está em evolução permanente, sendo um conhecimento inacabado. Embora se constate, da análise dos programas, que a História da Ciência adquire maior importância ao longo dos níveis de ensino (do Ensino Básico para o Ensino Secundário), há ainda, na nossa opinião, muito a ser feito. A utilização da História da Ciência no ensino das ciências traz para o centro dos problemas educativos a formação de professores. Não serve de nada mudar os currículos, se não houver mudanças nos professores que os implementam. Nesta comunicação pretendemos analisar as alterações nos planos de estudos dos cursos de formação de professores de Ciências em Portugal, nos últimos 15 anos. Verificámos, que apesar de esta temática ter sido introduzida nos currículos dos ensinos básico e secundário, com o processo de Bolonha, ela deixou de existir nos planos de estudos em algumas universidades que fazem formação inicial de professores de ciências.1 - DEB, Orientações Curriculares para o 3o Ciclo do Ensino Básico – Ciências Físicas e Naturais. Lisboa: Ministério da Educação, 2001. Palavras-chave: História da Ciência, Planos de Estudos, Formação inicial, Ensino das Ciências Abstract In the Curriculum of Basic Education in Portugal it is important that the students know about how ideas have been divulged, accepted, developed, substituted or rejected and that they recognize that scientific knowledge is in constant evolution, being an unfinished knowledge. Although it is clear from the analysis of the programs that the history of science is becoming more important throughout the educational levels (from elementary school to secondary education), there is still a lot to be done in our opinion. The use of the History of Science in the teaching, brings to the center of educational problems the formation of teachers. It is no use changing the curricula if there are no changes in the teachers who implement them. In this paper, we intend to analyze the changes in the study plans of the science teacher training courses in Portugal in the last 15 years. We verified that although this theme was introduced in the curricula of primary and secondary education, with the Bolonha process, it no longer exists in the curricula in some universities that form teachers. Keywords: History of Science, Science Teaching, Study Plans

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