Microbit – Computational Thinking in the Classroom

What is Computational Thinking?

Computational thinking is defined as a method of problem solving and thinking, approaching a problem in systemic manner similar to that of a computer. Not only is computational thinking beneficial when learning programming, which is becoming more relevant in the modern day society, but it also has several other advantages(Buitrago Flórez et al., 2017; García-Peñalvo & Mendes, 2018; Shute, Sun & Asbell-Clarke, 2017).

Technology is becoming more prevalent within out society, not only do we use it in our every day lives, but it is also becoming a key component of multiple industries and field (Buitrago Flórez et al., 2017). Being able to effectively use computational thinking can not only help students to identify, analyse, implement and problem solve, but also have an impact on their lives even after school (García-Peñalvo & Mendes, 2018; Shute, Sun & Asbell-Clarke, 2017). With the skills required for computational thinking being relevant in very facet of students’ lives.

How do we Facilitate Computational Thinking?

Programming is a great way to implement computational thinking the classroom. While computational thinking already benefits students when learning programming, similarly programming can also be a great tool in promoting computational thinking (Buitrago Flórez et al., 2017; Sentance, Waite, Hodges, Macleod & Yeomans, 2017; Zhang & Nouri, 2019).

Microbits are a programmable tool that can provide students with limitless applications, while the device itself is small, it can be a great method of developing computational thinking and interest in programming (Sentance et al., 2017). Children can learn simple coding and even develop games within the hour even starting from scratch, with certain inputs, even playing “Rock, Paper, Scissors” can be done on the microbit.

Studies have found that technology such as the microbit not only facilitate computational thinking among students, but also served to increase motivation, collaboration, creativity and tangibility (Sentance et al., 2017). Students would actively be engaged with using the technology and creating their own ideas, that which is not just limited to microbits, other tools and programs such as scratch are also easily accessible and also serve the function of computational thinking for students (Zhang & Nouri, 2019).

While implementing computational thinking in the classroom can be extremely beneficial to the students, it can also be very demanding for the teachers. Although teachers may enjoy using the technology, they must also be knowledgable with the use of it, and properly guide students on how to utilise the technology (Kong, Chiu & Lai, 2018; Sentance et al., 2017). It is important for students to make use of the technology without them being distracted from or confused by their tasks.

References:

Buitrago Flórez, F., Casallas, R., Hernández, M., Reyes, A., Restrepo, S., & Danies, G. (2017). Changing a Generation’s Way of Thinking: Teaching Computational Thinking Through Programming. Review Of Educational Research, 87(4), 834-860. doi: 10.3102/0034654317710096

García-Peñalvo, F., & Mendes, A. (2018). Exploring the computational thinking effects in pre-university education. Computers In Human Behavior, 80, 407-411. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2017.12.005

Kong, S., Chiu, M., & Lai, M. (2018). A study of primary school students’ interest, collaboration attitude, and programming empowerment in computational thinking education. Computers & Education, 127, 178-189. doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2018.08.026

Sentance, S., Waite, J., Hodges, S., Macleod, E., & Yeomans, L. (2017). “Creating Cool Stuff”: Pupils’ Experience of the BBC micro:bit. In Proceedings of the 2017 ACM SIGCSE Technical Symposium on computer science education (pp. 531-536). doi: 10.1145/3017680.3017749

Shute, V., Sun, C., & Asbell-Clarke, J. (2017). Demystifying computational thinking. Educational Research Review, 22, 142-158. doi: 10.1016/j.edurev.2017.09.003

Zhang, L., & Nouri, J. (2019). A systematic review of learning computational thinking through Scratch in K-9. Computers & Education, 141, 103607. doi: 10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103607