"Computational thinking is happening in many classrooms already, likely by many other names. Computational thinking is intricately linked with critical thinking, STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) learning, and project-based learning." (Sheldon, 2017) It is stressed that our students need to develop critical thinking skills on a daily basis. I agree with this 100%. However, sometimes I feel that some teachers and administrators think that the only way to develop these critical thinking (computational thinking) skills is to put a complex test question in front of students. When in fact, students need to be manipulating, researching, decomposing, recognizing patterns, collaborating, designing, and building. Yes, students need these same skills to solve those elaborate tested Math problems, but it's more than that. They need to learn how to solve problems critically in real world situations. For example, In my second grade class, students recently completed a cross-curricular project (Math, Writing, Social Studies) where they were required to be a producer and a consumer. Students designed and created a product to sell to their peers. Students were given a set amount of money to purchase items from the class store to build their product. They had to calculate the time it took them to make their product and add labor into the cost. There goal was to see who could make the most profit from their product. This project allowed students to use every step in computational thinking. After designing their product, they had to decompose it to decide what materials they needed to make it. They had to calculate the cost of materials plus labor. They had to recognize mathematical patterns. They had to first think about the function and cost of their product before they worried about the colors or accessories. When encountering problems with development, they had to stop and find a solution. Students also wrote a description of how to make their product, so that others could recreate it. When they completed their project, they filmed Flipgrid videos as commercials for their products and then sold their items to their peers. This project was so much more meaningful to students than completing a complicated math problem on paper. Students were able to have choice, ownership, and voice within an authentic activity while using computational thinking skills.
When used with technology, computational thinking addresses several of the student ISTE Standards. Specifically, ISTE Standards 5a - 5d, Computational Thinking: Students develop and employ strategies for understanding and solving problems in ways that leverage the power of technological methods to develop and test solutions. Resources: International Society for Technology in Education. (2019). ISTE Standards for STUDENTS. Retrieved February 1, 2019, from https://www.iste.org/standards/for-students Sheldon, E. (2017). Computational Thinking Across the Curriculum. Retrieved February 1, 2019, from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/computational-thinking-across-the-curriculum-eli-sheldon
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