Integrating Computational Thinking in School Curriculum

Abstract

Computational thinking (CT) has received significant and growing attention from the computing industry, politicians, and STEM researchers and educators alike across the globe. The motivation to integrate CT into science and mathematics curriculum comes from the fact that computing concepts and practices have become an integral part of the work that professional scientists, mathematicians, and engineers do and is a necessary skill desired by twenty-first century economies. If implemented effectively, CT has the potential to significantly advance students’ problem-solving and analytical thinking skills and data analysis and modeling skills. Despite increasing interest in CT and the potential academic benefits of integration for students, integration of CT into school science and mathematics has proved to be problematic for schools and educators. The first section of this chapter provides an overview of developments that gave rise to the integration of computational thinking into K-12 education, an in-depth discussion of computational thinking, and its connection with professional science and mathematical practices. The second section of this chapter focuses on current issues around integration of CT into school curricula. These issues include curriculum, teacher education, and equity in computer science education. Then, we move into discussing the challenges STEM educators face in integrating CT into school curriculum and potential strategies to address these challenges. We then move onto discussing the place of CT in STEM curriculum and challenges of teaching CT in schools. Finally, we review programs designed to integrate CT into STEM curriculum. Next, we discuss and expand on pedagogy of CT and future directions by drawing from relevant literature. Finally, we discuss potential challenges for STEM education community and opportunities that we need to tap on.