How Computational Thinking Initiatives Can Help Your Students
“Computational thinking trains the mind to see the ways in which the special skills of ubiquitous modern computational devices can be harnessed to better understand the physical, social, intellectual and cultural worlds we inhabit.”
So goes the mission statement of Computational Thinking Initiatives, a collection of resources devoted to getting students both in- and outside of the classroom thinking more computationally. As this quote states, computational thinking is broad in scope. It isn’t just learning code. It’s problem solving on a grand scale, with an emphasis on the way that computers are a part of nearly every aspect of modern life.
Students learn about the world through all the classes they take, building up their awareness of the micro and macro of everything from language arts to math to history. The way they learn is a whole field of inquiry — see brain-based learning, which uses evidence-based practices — but more than that, there are opportunities to shift how ideas are presented to them.
What Is Computational Thinking?
Before going into the initiatives themselves, let’s look a bit further into computational thinking.
As mentioned, it’s not coding per se — although code can assist with problem solving, and it’s often an expedient way to utilize the “computation” of computational thinking. Computational thinking can be thought of as a lens through which to view problems: abstracted and decomposed, arranged into patterns or algorithms.
Computational thinking involves several facets, each of which helps students to better understand and ultimately solve a problem. Abstraction looks at the big-picture idea of something complex, while decomposition breaks that idea into smaller parts. Pattern recognition looks for patterns, or commonalities, in groups of objects. Algorithmic thinking looks at problem solving as sets of instructions, creating “recipes” for tasks.
With computational thinking, each of these facets works together. Decomposition helps simplify problems, while abstraction allows for the creation of variables, classes and even algorithms. Each of these things is subject-agnostic — they aren’t tied into a single discipline. That means that computational thinking is equally welcome in both STEM and the humanities.
What Are Computational Thinking Initiatives?
Computational Thinking Initiatives “offer programs and resources to improve computational thinking skills among students everywhere,” as stated on their mission page. It was created through the Wolfram Foundation, a nonprofit that is connected to Wolfram Research. Computational Thinking Initiatives’ mission is to teach students to think computationally. To that end, they share lessons, code exercises and more that can be accessed and used by anyone, anywhere.
AI Adventures is a collection of lessons written as adventures between you, an aspiring Master AI Trainer and a wily AI who needs help doing certain tasks. Sample lessons can be found on the teaching resources page. Lessons include “How Secure Is My Bike Lock?”, which explores security, as well as “Computer, What Is That Color?”, which looks at classification systems. Those are just two of several freely accessible lessons, with further available if you reach out to Computational Thinking Initiatives directly.
Computational Thinking Initiatives also offer AI Leagues, which are virtual clubs where students can train their AIs together. Essentially, they are computational thinking clubs. Not only does this make things fun, it also inspires fellowship and could even be a precursor to things like pair programming, which would be useful to students looking at computer science as a career path.
Using Computational Thinking Initiatives
As mentioned, many of the AI Adventures can be found freely online. Each lesson is shared as an online .nb file, or notebook, which can be opened in Mathematica. Lesson objectives as well as curricular standards are listed at the top of the page.
Although there is a strong focus on computer science, the lessons cover many subject areas. For example, the color classification lesson mentioned above could be interesting for students involved in graphic design and the arts. Ideally, lessons can be incorporated into classes for real-world problem solving, connecting to existing work.
Lessons do require some knowledge of the Wolfram Language. Happily, there are plenty of resources online for learning the language. One of the biggest — An Elementary Introduction to the Wolfram Language — is linked on each lesson’s introductory header. There’s also a place to request help from a volunteer if you’re not comfortable with your level of coding skill.
Going beyond the Lessons
As you’re looking through the Computational Thinking Initiatives site, you might notice other links. There’s one directing students to a summer camp, for example. There’s another showing how the Raspberry Pi works with the Wolfram Language. The deeper you go, the more there is to explore.
Owing to the value of computational thinking, it’s worth considering how to embed it into your classes. Moreover, how can it be embedded holistically? There’s less value for students in just introducing the idea, then dropping it right after. In that sense, the lessons from Computational Thinking Initiatives, as well as the auxiliary supports, could be integrated into preexisting lessons as a means of students putting theory into practice.
If students need confidence building, it’s worth pointing out the gallery of student work on the main page. Perhaps they’ll fall in love with computational thinking and go on to use it in projects. Even if they don’t, the concepts will be there, ready to apply to future problems.
Jesika Brooks
Jesika Brooks is an editor and bookworm with a Master of Library and Information Science degree. She works in the field of higher education as an educational technology librarian, assisting with everything from setting up Learning Management Systems to teaching students how to use edtech tools. A lifelong learner herself, she has always been fascinated by the intersection of education and technology. She edits the Tech-Based Teaching blog (and always wants to hear from new voices!).
