Pedagogical Lensescs-coaching-knowledge-base.md

Computational Thinking

Front: Computational thinking, or CT, was first described by Seymour Papert, and later by Jeanette Wing, as a set of concepts, central to computing, that should be taught to all students. Wing said, "Thinking like a computer scientist means more than being able to program a computer." Aman Yadav et al expanded this rationale: "[CT] ideas...are key to moving students from merely being technology-literate to using computational tools to solve problems." CT gives teachers and students a valuable tool for inquiry and discourse, and vocabulary and concepts that they can draw upon in their CS classes.

Back: Implementing and developing CT content and pedagogical knowledge requires explicit modeling, repetition, and classroom practice. CT can be used within any discipline. Introduce CT to teachers by defining the vocabulary of concepts and approaches and connecting these ideas to existing classroom practices or academic content. For young students, point teachers toward classroom routines. For older students, look to the steps (algorithm) of long division or pulling meaning (abstraction) from a paragraph. Create a practice of computational thinking during coaching as well as lesson planning. Consider providing a visual toolkit of CT definitions.

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