Computational Thinking



Coding is a language (many languages!) that will change in the future, but the same skill set remains. Computational thinking in a primary school looks like kids writing a set of instructions (using digital technology or on paper) and 'debugging' them by solving any problems.

In our flipped preparation for week 5 we were asked to listen to a TED talk by the author of 'Hello, Ruby', Linda Lukas.

She defines computational thinking as,

" Thinking about problems in a way that allows computers to solve them. Computational thinking is something people do, not computers. It includes logical thinking and the ability to recognise patterns, think with algorithms, decompose a problem, and abstract a problem."


She says that computational thinking is, 

"Things to think with not think about!"

I think that teaching children to code isn't because in the future they will all grow up to be coders, because that just isn't how it will be. BUT to believe it is important for kids to not only be consumers of digital technology but be able to CREATE using digital technology. When kids are fluent users of digital technology they are able to express their ideas, be creative and playful.

She writes in her book that in the future we will have two different kinds of people (when thinking about digital technology),

"People who do and build, and people who are stuck!"

I think we can be hesitant or scared about the 'glowing boxes' (our computers, smart phones, iPads and so on) because they developed so fast they we don't really understand how they work. Digital technology isn't magic or difficult, it is about algorithms. Computers are really good at following millions of simple instructions at the same time.




Linda Luikas, brings storytelling and imagination to computers that I haven't come across before.  I just had to go to the library and get her book out to have a look for myself. I like the way that she sees the links between computational thinking and other learning areas, like poetry, mathematics, philosophy... as they all require us to think use patterns and use debugging skills.  Her books (and website) are full of hands on learning experiences for kids that bring coding to life.




Earlier this years the Ministry of Education brought of the "digital curriculum", which adds computational thinking to the technology learning area (in years 1-10). By 2020 all teachers in New Zealand will be required to be teaching the digital curriculum.

To support my teaching of computational thinking here are some resources I am looking at using; 
Scratch Jr (5-7)  - which is a iPad app 
Google 50 years of coding 

Extra learning about computational thinking:

The Mind Lab - Digital Passport
Google - Computational Thinking Course 








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