Hello and welcome to my first blog post! I will be reflecting on an article written by Eli Zimmerman titled “5 Ways K–12 Teachers Can Take a New Approach to Computational Thinking”.
Click here to view the article!
In this article, Zimmerman highlights the importance of teaching STEM in the “daily activities” of the classroom. For those of you unfamiliar with STEM you can watch this TEDx video but as a quick overview, STEM is an acronym that stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. STEM in schools was introduced by the US Department of Education and was part of an overall goal to prepare for the projected job growth in places such as computation and engineering that require love and mastery of the STEM subjects.
In order to be successful in STEM, one must be proficient in computational thinking which, in short, is a way of thinking that involves drawing from concepts found in computer science. Zimmerman’s article highlight ISTE’s proposed five roles that educators play when it comes to teaching computational thinking.
- Learner
- Teachers should look to enhance their own computational thinking by learning from other professionals, and practicing and incorporating technology in their own daily lives.
- This is important to teachers as well because they will be recording data to track the efficacy of their teaching methods as well as to track their students progress. By having proficiency in computational thinking, educators can better analyze and make meaning of this data.
- Equity Leader
- Internal motivation is so important when it comes to education. Teachers can foster leaders within their students by allowing them to be their own educator and try out different software and technology in the classroom. They will find joy in doing this and be more excited to learn.
- Other tools include “personalized learning” can help students to feel they are in charge of their own learning and will be more motivated to learn.
- Collaborator
- Collaboration between students and between students and teachers can not only enhance the learning of computational thinking but can also enhance important social-emotional skills students will benefit from.
- Designer
- The best way to teach STEM and computational thinking is through hands-on activities. By being able to touch and manipulate technology and mechanical devices, students will learn how to be better creators.
- Some examples included in the article are “art projects”, “virtual reality”, and “mixed reality devices”.
- Facilitator
- Teachers can enhance computational thinking through a combination of assigning projects and hands-on activities as well as through formative assessments. By giving the students different forms of assessment throughout their exploration, teachers can ensure the students are learning the desired content.
What do you think about STEM and computational thinking? Have you used any of these or other tips and tricks to facilitate this learning in your classroom? Comment down below and happy learning!
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