“From phones to cars to medicine, technology touches every part of our lives. If you can create technology, you can change the world.” Susan Wojcicki, SVP, Google

We have all heard that computer science education is becoming more and more important, some even say urgent. But if you are not a computer teacher, does this apply to you and your curriculum? The answer is yes!

Computer science is not just coding. “Computer science is fundamentally about logic, reasoning, and problem solving. It teaches us how to harness technology to address complex, multidimensional challenges, to think through systems and adapt. It has the potential to help foster a generation who can think logically, parse complicated algorithms and solve problems. Exposure to and education in computer science makes us better thinkers and doers, regardless of the fields we pursue—and helps to develop more adaptive, resilient graduates—regardless of their career path.”¹

No matter what subject or what grade level you teach, you can integrate computer science into your curriculum. Computer science already exists in most classrooms through the use of computers. Your students are most likely using computers daily to complete assignments, write papers, and connect with you. But this is just scratching the surface. By teaching computational thinking, we can prepare students to solve problems and become better thinkers.

What is computational thinking?

Computational thinking and computer science work hand in hand. Computational thinking encompasses a set of skills to help students process and navigate complex problems. The process teaches students how to think so that they can move from acquisition to higher-order thinking skills.

There are five main concepts to consider with computational thinking:

• Identification: A process of describing a problem, noticing what is frustrating you, or might have you stuck in your thinking.
• Debugging: The process of analyzing your information and looking for and locating errors or mistakes.
• Decomposition: The process of breaking down a large frustrating problem into smaller parts so it is easier to manage.
• Abstraction: The process of looking at all the information you have in front of you, and really focusing only on the information and things you NEED, and ignoring or setting aside other parts that might not be useful at the moment.
• Pattern Recognition: The process of identifying similarities between items so that you can learn more about them.

On a recent episode of For the Purpose of… podcast, Dr. Aman Yadav, director of the Masters of Arts in Educational Technology at Michigan State University, was asked by Sarah Wood, “How is computer science relevant to all teachers and students?”

Dr. Yadav shared a conversation he had with an ELA teacher that identified the idea of algorithms as being math. This was a lightbulb moment for him as an educator. “We really need to first deconstruct and provide examples of ‘what does it mean’ to think computationally.” He shared that writing a recipe or giving directions are both algorithms. “So how do we connect these computational ideas to where teachers are at? Once they see those connections, without talking about computer science, we can start to bring more computational rich experiences.”

Integrating computational thinking into a writing lesson

One way a teacher might use computational thinking in their classroom could be integration into a writing lesson. For example, Mrs. Vanlier, a Kindergarten teacher in Kentwood, tied computational thinking elements into her “how-to” writing unit. 

Mrs. Vanlier introduced the unit with her students identifying what “how-to” writing looks like and what the key elements and vocabulary associated with it were. Her students then tried a basic coding activity with the help of Kent ISD Educational Technology Consultant, Keith Tramper. “Her students learned the basic building blocks of algorithms and practiced them by navigating a character through a maze. As students created basic programs, we paused to make connections between “how-to” writing and coding,” shared Keith.

Students actively practiced decomposition by breaking a big problem (navigating the maze) into smaller steps through coding and then considered how it was like “how-to” writing. They realized things like “I have to be really specific” and “I have to make sure I do it in the right order.” Both of these elements are critical to good “how-to” writing. This one short activity was rich in connections between computational thinking and core classroom learning. How do you see opportunities in your lessons for pattern recognition? Debugging? Or even abstraction?

It can feel overwhelming to think of how you might incorporate computer science concepts in your classroom, especially if you primarily work with younger students. MDE has published the Computer Science and Early Literacy Crosswalk document to help. You’ll find the ways that the computer science standards and ELA standards support each other and find examples at each grade level that may help you make sense of tackling computer science concepts with your learners.

Additional ways to integrate computer science into your classroom

• Three ways to integrate computer science in other classes (Edutopia)
• Computer Science Education for Administrators (MDE)
• Computer Science Education for Elementary Teachers (MDE)
• Computer Science Education for Middle and High School Teachers (MDE)

How can you learn more?

MDE recommends that districts that do not have a clear K-12 Computer Science Implementation plan to schedule a SCRIPT workshop to create a Computer Science vision and actionable goals. Click here to learn more about the SCRIPT workshops.

Podcast

Listen to the entire interview with Dr. Yadav on the For the Purpose of… podcast on your favorite podcast platform. Or watch the interview on YouTube!

Professional Learning Opportunities

On April 20, 2022, there will be a Computer Science Professional Spotlight Panel. You can register here to participate or watch this panel.

Register for Computer Science Core Concepts Workshop on April 27, 2022.  

Summer Learning Opportunities

Earn SCECHs this summer with Sarah Wood by registering for a professional learning in a box that will help educators learn easy ways to integrate computer science into core curriculum. More information to come.

Connect with Dr. Yadav to join a special summer program (with stipends).

Additional Support

Email cs@kentisd.org if you have specific questions that you would like one of our educational technology consultants to assist you with.

Click here to be added to the Computer Science email list to be notified of these and other upcoming events to help you along the way on your journey to computer science integration!

#ComputerScience #KentISDpd #WeLeadLearning #Innovation #ComputationalThinking

This blog post was written by Amanda Walma, Professional Learning Coordinator at Kent ISD, and Keith Tramper and Sarah Wood, Educational Technology Consultants at Kent ISD. It was edited by Sara Sefcik, PD Hub Intern for Kent ISD. 

1. Ogletree, T. (2018, December 27). Computer science is more than just coding – edsurge news. EdSurge. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-10-05-computer-science-is-more-than-just-coding