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From Computational Thinking to Computational Participation
Chris Sheltonc.shelton@chi.ac.uk
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Woollard (2016)In the UK, the term 'computational thinking' has been described in different ways for different audiences but there is a growing consensus that computational thinking is a cognitive or thought process involving logical reasoning by which problems are solved and artefacts, procedures and systems are better understood. It embraces:• the ability to think algorithmically;• the ability to think in terms of decomposition;• the ability to think in generalisations,• the ability to identify and make use of patterns;• the ability to think in abstractions, choosing good representations;
and• the ability to think in terms of evaluation.
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CONCEPT DESCRIPTIONsequence identifying a series of steps for a taskloops running the same sequence multiple timesparallelism making things happen at the same timeevents one thing causing another thing to happenconditionals making decisions based on conditionsoperators support for mathematical and logical expressionsdata storing, retrieving, and updating values
COMPUTATIONAL CONCEPTS
PRACTICE DESCRIPTIONexperimenting and iterating
developing a little bit, then trying it out, then developing some more
testing and debugging
making sure things work – and finding and solving problems when they arise
reusing and remixing
making something by building on existing projects or ideas
abstracting and modularizing
exploring connections between the whole and the parts
COMPUTATIONAL PRACTICES
PERSPECTIVE DESCRIPTIONexpressing realizing that computation is a medium of creation
“I can create.”connecting recognizing the power of creating with and for others
“I can do different things when I have access to others.”questioning feeling empowered to ask questions about the world
“I can (use computation to) ask questions to make sense of (computational things in) the world.”
COMPUTATIONAL PERSPECTIVES
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Computational ThinkingEach of these definitions overlap but they are not the same.
If computational thinking is at the heart of the computing curriculum, what are we trying to achieve?
Is the aim of computing to develop individual thinking skills?
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Questions for practice?A focus on ‘thinking’ might lead to a focus on teaching concepts and ‘unplugged activities’
And what about the balance with other strands of the curriculum:• Computer Science• Information Technology• Digital Literacy
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An alternative view…Research by Yasmin Kafai and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania have suggested we need to widen our view of what children should do and learn.
They have introduced the term:“computational participation”
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Computational participation expands the idea of computational thinking to include personal expression and social participation.It is “the ability to solve problems with others, design systems for and with others, and draw on computer science concepts, practices and perspectives to understand the cultural and social nature of human behavior.” (Kafai and Burke 2014)
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The participation gapThe term computational participation intentionally recalls Jenkins (2006) idea of a ‘participation gap’
This is the gap between the ways that children from different socio-economic and ethnic backgrounds use technology and participate in online activity.
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“When computation is thought of in terms of participation and not just thinking, it becomes clear that there is a tremendous discrepancy in who gets to participate.”
Kafai and Burke
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Participation…What might computational participation look like in our classrooms?
• Pupils learning to express themselves through coding (and recognise how others are doing this)
• Participation through re-mixing code• Participation in communities of coding
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Some examples• Use Scratch 2.0• Teach children how to comment• Start by re-mixing• Teach the ‘backpack’• Contribute to studios
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Scratch 2.0
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Teacher Accounts
Coming soon:
http://scratched.gse.harvard.edu/discussions/news-and-announcements/scratch-teacher-accounts
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Comments and Messages
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Positive
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Less positive!
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Helpful
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Unhelpful
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Re-mix
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Use the backpack
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Studios
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Broader computingBy doing these things, we help pupils to participate in an international community.
But we also address lots more of the computing curriculum:• E-safety – what and how should we share?• Digital Literacy and digital expression…
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ITEHow can we encourage our ITE students to develop their computational participation?
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“I recognize the power and value of computational ideas but worry that computational thinking is often interpreted too narrowly, focusing on how individual people learn and use computational concepts for solving problems. Kafai and Burke’s conception of computational participation serves as a broader, more inclusive framework for computer science education, expanding beyond individual problem solving to include personal expression, creative design, and social engagement.”
Resnick (2014)
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Your challenge:How can we develop teachers who ensure that pupils learn to participate rather than just think about computing?
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