What is Computational Thinking?

Hello Fellow Classmates,


The first things that come to mind when I hear the term computational thinking is math, science and computers, not a traditional classroom setting and teaching methods.  As a K - 12 student those were not my strong subjects.  Well I should say math was not my subject.  Science I did well in and computers were just coming around when I graduated.  So trying to understand how to incorporate this into today's K - 12 classroom is intriguing to me.  The article this week talks about this type of thinking and tries to define what it is and what they are trying to accomplish by incorporating this at the K - 12 level.


So what does computational thinking have to do with the K - 12 classrooms you may ask?  First of all we have to define what it is.  According to the article "CT is a problem solving methodology that can be automated and transferred and applied across subjects."  Their premise is "K - 12 students already learn how to think and to problem solve, but computer scientists can help teachers understand these processes as algorithmic, and identify where actual computation and manipulation of data with a computer may fit in."  Their "goal is to articulate a set of key concepts within computation that can be applied across disciplines, rather than proposing a set of central concepts of computer science solely for CS curricula."


Based on this information I have to disagree with their premise that "students already learn how to think and to problem solve."  Yes they can definitely think for themselves, but students at the lower levels need to be guided in the problem solving realm.  At the younger levels they tend to be impulsive, self centered, very immature at negotiating and compromising, and can easily get frustrated.  This is where teachers and parents need to step in and guide the students in their ability to do this in a healthy way.  OK so older students and even adults can have problems doing this as well.  So we all could use a good lesson in problem solving.


The article goes on to say that "'imaginative programming' is the most crucial element of computing because it closely aligns mathematics with computing and in this way brings mathematics to life."  When we talk about multicultural education we talk about how it is important to make the information we teach relevant to the student so they can relate to it and understand it better.  Just as the article talked about making math come to life we need to incorporate that concept across the board so all subjects come to life for the students.  That way they can understand it better and incorporate it to their own lives. By incorporating this methodology in the classrooms it would be teaching students that "problems can be solved in multiple ways, have a tolerance for ambiguity and flexibility, and have reasonable expectations about the prospects of producing a working solution."


So how do we get to the point of incorporating this type of teaching methodology in the K - 12 classrooms? We first need to understand the practical approach of how this would look and work at this level.  Next "resources are needed to help inform educational policy makers about the nature and importance of computational thinking, its connections to learning goals that may have already been set for students and ways it can best be integrated within the larger framework for student learning and success."  And lastly gaining support for this type of educational thinking.


I watched a movie for another class called "A Smile as Big as the Moon." It was about a special education group of students that went to space camp.  In preparation for this camp I believe it shows a good illustration of how this could be incorporated into the classroom.  The students had to work together to problem solve numerous tasks that were going to be accomplished while at camp.  It showed how students jumped in and used their special talents to work together as a team to get to where they needed to be. The teachers guided and provided them with the tools they needed and they ran with it.  Even the teachers were surprised at some of the things the students came up with.  If you get a chance to watch the movie it is from the Hallmark Channel and is now on DVD in the Hallmark stores.


Overall, I believe this is a good starting point to move forward with this type of approach but I also believe that it needs to be just a part of the overall picture of how students are taught and how they learn.  We all have different learning and working styles and approaches to how we handle life. That is what makes us each special and unique.  When it comes to teaching and educating children we need to remember that they are individuals with unique personalities, learning and working styles and we should not take that away from them by trying to put everything in a box.  Instead we need to create an environment that fosters their personal growth in a way that is meaningful to them.  For some students they will thrive in a computational thinking environment for others they will melt away.  Teaching is no easy career when there are so many things to take into consideration when creating your lesson plan for the day but it is also rewarding when the light bulb goes on in a child's head and they finally get the concept that is being taught. Just watching them grow and learn and develop into the unique and special person they were created to be can be just as exciting and rewarding too.


I look forward to hearing from you and reading your posts as well.





"Bringing CT to K-12: What Is Involved and What Is the Role of the Computer Science Education Community?"  ACM Inroads article from March 2011:Volume 2 Number 1