Computational Thinking and Robotics

When I first began this assignment, computational thinking was a relatively new concept to me. I had some basic understanding of computational thinking and robotics but after reading, there is a lot of new information for me to consider.

My original understanding of computation was programming of some kind within a device. However, according to Siu (2022) "computational thinking is the step that comes before programming. It’s the process of breaking down a problem into simple enough steps that even a computer would understand." Computational thinking includes the processes of critical thinking, reasoning, problem solving and analyzing cause and effect. Additionally, through reading the Code BC CT Illustrated documents states that "computational artifacts are both the programs we made and their outputs." (p.4). 

There is a clear connection between computational thinking and robotics. Students must think critically, articulate step by step instructions in code for the robot to achieve the task. They must evaluate their success and solve problems that arise.

I was surprised that computational thinking was nowhere to be found in the K-5 curriculum. However, the key skills for computational thinking can be embedded into activities across the curriculum to develop critical thinking, reasoning and problem solving. 


Works Cited:

Code BC. (n.d.). Analyzing Effects of Computation. Code BC. https://codebc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/computational-thinking-illustrated.pdf

Ministry of Education. BC Curriculum. Available at: https://curriculum.gov.bc.ca/curriculum/search [Accessed May 12 2023]

Siu, K. (2022, December 6). What is Computational Thinking. Teach Your Kids Code. https://teachyourkidscode.com/what-is-computational-thinking/

Comments

  1. Ms. HuntMay 13, 2023 at 8:55 AM

    From Jackie: Thanks for referencing 'teachyourkidscode'. I explored the site and there are a lot of great resources there! Have you used any of their ideas in your teaching?

    ReplyDelete

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