Motivational Tools for Learning Programming in Primary Schools

Studying pedagogical sciences for Computer Science subject nowadays does not meet with great interest of students in Slovakia. Education of young generation in this area is strongly affected by small number of well qualified teachers as well as lack of high-quality teaching materials resulting to deplorable knowledge of the pupils. The very same situation is also with preparation of future teachers. They have only limited possibilities of direct contact with pupils during their studies, what leads to weak experience of the future teachers and low motivation of the children for Computer Science subject. This contribution gives a positive example of extracurricular educative activity for pupils from lower-secondary schools, where students of Teaching of Computer Science program and Applied Informatics program were involved as lecturers or tutors. In this activity we used various motivational tools for teaching programming and Computer Science as well. The contribution describes our experience with these tools for programming, which we used in our extracurricular activity – so called “Informatics club” and also in the two primary schools and three secondary schools in the region of Banská Bystrica. Motivational devices, which were used are: education board bbc micro:bit with accessories (IoT set, gamepad, micro:bit cars), didactic devices – robots (Airblock, mBot Ranger, Phiro Pro) and board game Scottie Go!.

A Problem-based Curriculum for Algorithmic Programming

Engagement of students plays a crucial part in education, even if they are gifted children. We know a success story: the extracurricular mathematics camps of Lajos Pósa for talented teenagers in Hungary. The key to that success is the excellently engineered network of problems that guide students through discovering the world of higher level mathematics. It would be a novel approach to teach computer programming and algorithms in a similar way. In this paper we attempt to design a network of problems selected specifically for discovery learning of algorithms and data structures from beginner to advanced level, targeted for secondary and high school talented students. This could serve as the curriculum for extra classes or camps conducted with the problem-based teaching method we describe.

Interactive Teaching of Programming Language Theory with a Proof Assistant

Teaching of programming language theory has a long track record at ELTE Faculty of Informatics. Traditionally, formal semantics and type systems of programming languages, similarly to other theory-oriented subjects, were taught with the pen and paper method. However, modern proof assistants call for replacing this old-fashioned way of teaching with novel and interactive methods that bring deeper understanding, provide better learning experience and build technical skills in applying formal methods. The authors have launched practice classes for two programming language theory subjects and carefully developed course material based on executable and verifiable definitions formalised in the Coq proof assistant. In this paper, we share our experiences regarding the design and implementation of the new material, we outline the pros and cons of using a proof assistant in the courses, and we describe how the presented method may be adapted to other courses.

Overview of Repetition

There are differences between the everyday concept of repetition, the usage in informatics and the different implementations. This article collects the different levels, paradigms and language options and it presents a performed measurement and finally it evaluates the results didactically. So, it is useful for students preparing for a programming competition and their informatics teachers.

The Canvas LMS Systems’s Advanced Possibilities in Course Design and the Usage of Evaluation Informal, Non-formal and Informal Education

From the 2016’s academic year, the Eötvös Loránd University, in addition to the Moodle framework, also enabled teachers to use the OpenSource version of the Canvas LMS, not only for courses related to formal education but for course-based or even open courses (MOOC). An essential aspect of choosing the framework was to have built-in features which support advanced approaches to the course management and evaluation (e.g.: teamwork, peer re-view, advanced module organization, student differentiation, collaborative opportunities, outcome-based education, rubrics). In my article, besides presenting the usage of the mentioned functions in education, I also summarize the statistics of the usage of this system as well as the teacher's feedback.

Didactic Options and Experience with 3D Printing Technology and LEGO Mindstorms Kits

The article discusses didactic possibilities and experiences with the use of 3d printing technology and Lego Mindstorms. 3d printing we use to teach computer graphics. It is essential that the teacher has a knowledge of how technology works and how it can implement it into teaching. The same is true of the Lego Mindstorms, which we use to teach programming and robotics. The article focuses on both technologies in terms of their capabilities and practical experience in teaching information subjects.