Computational Thinking for K-12 Educators: Abstraction, Methods, and Lists

Beginner Level
9 hours to complete
Flexible Schedule

Beth Simon

Skills You’ll Gain

Event-Driven Programming Debugging Computational Thinking Program Development Education Software and Technology Computer Programming Technical Communication Cultural Responsiveness Code Reusability Digital pedagogy Data Structures Programming Principles

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There are 6 modules in this course

Examine how abstraction is manifested in everyday things and look at an example using song lyrics. Practice your programming skills and apply your knowledge of parameters when writing method definitions in Snap programs. Learn some common debugging challenges/tips and create your own abstraction assignment.

Revisit the concept of abstractions with some non-interactive practice problems. Go through some especially tricky problems in a collaborative activity to reinforce the idea that computers do what you tell them to do, not what you hope they do! Finally, we'll learn about the fundamentals of recursion and how block-based graphical environments can make learning recursion visual and easier!

Define lists and discuss uses and representations of lists. Unscramble programs in Snap to better understand the possible operations you can perform with lists. Identify common challenges that students face, create your own assignment, and learn debugging tips.

Revisit the concept of lists with some non-interactive practice problems. Discuss the common mistakes students make while initializing lists and how to better distinguish between index and data. Find an educational video about how lists are used.

Explore issues of culturally relevant teaching as specific to computer science classrooms -- and some ideas for making our computing classes more culturally relevant. Modify an unplugged activity to be more culturally relevant -- and get some additional ideas from reviewing the work of others!