How is it possible to learn what computational thinking is? How can future teachers be supported in the application of this competence?
Computational thinking is a skill related to understanding problems and formulating solutions in a way that is executable by others or by a machine. It is not simply a matter of being able to delegate or program, but of acting through the decomposition of complex problems, the recognition of patterns, the abstraction of useful elements to solve the problem, and the definition of algorithms, i.e. procedures to solve problems. Educating in computational thinking therefore means educating in problem solving and logical thinking, which is a transversal skill, applicable in different contexts and disciplines.
Computational thinking skills are now an integral part of teaching, but the training curricula for future teachers rarely include the topic. In order to facilitate the revision of university teacher training programmes, the Future Teachers Education: Computational Thinking and STEAM (TeaEdu4CT) project has developed 10 training modules to integrate computational thinking into the training of future teachers of all levels and disciplines:
- M1 Framework for the development of the modules: CT&STEAM for future teacher education
- M2 General introduction of CT: a basic module suitable for all teachers
- M3 CT for pre-school (kindergarten) prospective teachers: specific features, approaches and practical solutions
- M4 CT for primary education prospective teachers: specific features, approaches and practical solutions
- M5 CT for STEM prospective teachers: specific features, approaches and practical solutions
- M6 CT for informatics (computing) prospective teachers: specific features, approaches and practical solutions
- M7 CT for language arts and humanities prospective teachers: specific features, approaches and practical solutions
- M8 Educational environments for CT: design and aspects of integration
- M9 Using Constructivism, and Project and Challenge Driven Pedagogy for learning CT
- M10 Technological, pedagogical and instructional design aspects of teaching CT for STEAM
During the last project meeting, held in Paderborn (Germany), the partners exchanged first impressions of the local trainings for future teachers to be held in each partner country to test the effectiveness of the training modules and planned activities to present the project results to the scientific and academic community. TeaEdu4CT has already been presented in 2020 and 2021 at the online International Conference on Informatics in School: Situation, Evaluation and Problems (ISSEP), the 5th APSCE International Conference on Computational Thinking and STEM Education (June 2021), the 26th annual conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science Education (ITiCSE) (July 2021) and the 14th European Science Education and Research Association online conference (ESERA 2021). In the last months of the project, the partners plan to intensify the production of scientific articles and the presence at international conferences to further disseminate the project results.
CESIE offers a training course on Computational Thinking for teachers and aspiring teachers of kindergarten, primary and secondary schools. Are you training to become a teacher or are you a university teacher interested in proposing this training to a group of students? Contact Alessia Valenti: alessia.valenti@cesie.org.
About the project
TeaEdu4CT – Future Teachers Education: Computational Thinking and STEAM is cofinanced by Erasmus + – Directorate General for Education and Culture (DG EAC).
Partners
- Vilniaus Universitetas (Lithuania, coordinator)
- Turun Yliopisto (Finland)
- Kungliga Tekniska Hoegskolan (Sweden)
- Ankara Universitesi (Turkey)
- Tallinn University (Estonia)
- CESIE (Italy)
- Technische Universitaet Wien (Austria)
- Stichting Katholieke Universiteit (Netherlands)
- Universitaet Paderborn (Germany)
- Centre for Advancement of Research and Development in Educational Technology LTD CARDET (Cyprus)
For further information
Read more about TeaEdu4CT.
Contact Alessia Valenti: alessia.valenti@cesie.org.
