Activities to Encourage Algorithmic Thinking in Computer Science

Ines Medved, Barbara Stopar, Katja Zupančič, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of EducationJuly 2014

Introduction• The definition of algorithmic thinking• Computer science unplugged• The Bebras• Didactic computer/video games• Visual programming environment SCRATCH• The problem of grading products made

in/with activities

The Definition of Algorithmic Thinking• Abilities:

– Analyze– Specify– Find– Construct– Think– Evaluate– Improve

• Human cognitive factors:– Abstract and logical

thinking– Thinking in structures– Creativity– Problem solving

competence

The Definition of Algorithmic Thinking• Different from natural thinking• Solution for a machine

Algorithmic Thinking

• Problems:– Abstract type of thinking– Abstraction– Programming environment

For the beginners the complexity should be reduced to that level where the concepts of algorithmic thinking can be learned in a natural way.

Algorithmic Thinking

Real worldProgramming environment

Computer Science Unplugged• English version:

– A collection of free learning activities– Concepts: binary numbers, algorithms and data compression– Suitable for people of all ages

• http://csunplugged.org/

• Slovenian version:– Translated and adapted by dr. Janez Demšar and mag. Irena

Demšar– Beside original CS Unplugged material they added some

activities from other similar sites and their own games• http://vidra.fri.uni-lj.si/aktivnosti

The Bebras • An international contest on informatics and

computer fluency• Easily accessible and highly motivating online

contests• Sets of short

questions called Bebras tasks

• “Beaver” = hard-working, intelligent, lively animal

The Bebras• Prof. Valentina Dagiene, University of Vilnius• First organized in Lithuania in 2004 • In 2012: the non-school activity in Informatics

education with the largest audience• First in Slovenia: in the 2011/12 school year

The Bebras TaskTo solve Bebras tasks:• Required to think in and

about information• Discrete structures • Computation• Data processing • Algorithmic concepts• 45-55 minutes for solving

18-20 problems• Different task sets for

different age students

A good Bebras task should be:

• Representing informatics concepts

• Easily understandable• Solved within 3 minutes• Short• Solvable on computer• Independent from specific

systems• Interesting and/or funny• Includes pictures

The Bebras Task• Chosen every year at an international Bebras

workshop• The tasks suggested are then analyzed,

improved and sorted based on their difficulty, theme and age category

• They pick out the best which become mandatory -> comparison onthe international level

2012-AT-10 (Trendy Cycles in Beaver Town) Nowadays everyone in Beaver Town wants to have a trendy colorful bicycle. But the police has set up a regulation, how bicycles are allowed to look like. You can derive from a so called tree depicted in the figure below, whether or not a bicycle fulfils the specification of the police. Beginning from the starting point (the so called root) the beavers have to decide step-by-step, which of the available options (branches) they prefer.

Which of the following bicycles does not fulfill the specification?

a)b)

c)d)

2010-CZ-02 Four Frogs A magician robot moves across a square grid according to

given commands. The commands are expressed by the following symbols:

- robot goes forward one step.

- robot creates a frog in front of it

- the robot repeats 4 times: one step forward. As a result the robot moves 4 steps forward

- the robot repeats four times: move one step forward and move one step forward. As a result the robot moves 8 steps forward.

Which program tells the robot to create four frogs in a row next to each other?

A)

B)

C)

D)

Serious Games• Computer is used just for information

transmission or absorption • Importance of learning goals related to

curriculum• Essential elements: play, pretending, goal and

rules• Different type of knowledge requires different

type of game design techniques and game mechanics

eAdventure• Is a research project aiming to facilitate the

integration of educational games and game-like simulations in educational processes

• Developed by the e-UCM e-learning research group at Universidad Complutense de Madrid

• Games design by students at Faculty of Education, University of Ljubljana:– http://hrast.pef.uni-lj.si/igre/

Scratch• Visual programming language• Creating:

– Animations– Computer games– Interactive stories

• Colored graphic blocks with programming commands

Scratch• Users can learn:

– Assignment statement (variable)

– Loop– Conditional statement– Response to the event– Time synchronization– Random numbers– Logical operations– …

• Users can’t learn:– Define their own classes

and objects– Reading from a file– Writing to a file– Writing comments

Scratch

Problem of Grading Products Made in/with Activities

• We need to evaluate the usage of knowledge/theory.

• Understanding of basic computer usage.• The quality of the executed presentation of

the product.• The attention paid to the data coding• Effectiveness of the usage of IT• Most importantly, the criterion must be

prepared in advance

WorkshopDo a game/storytelling in Scratch. Your options are:•Ping pong•Introduce yourself

http://scratch.mit.edu/http://scratch.mit.edu/scratch2download/

References• ACM Tekmovanja – Bober, available http://tekmovanja.acm.si/bober (31.8.2013)• Adams, E. Fundamentals of game design, Third edition. Barkeley: New Riders, 2014.• Bebras, available http://www.bebras.org/ (23.7.2014) • Bell, T. et al. Computer Science Unplugged, available http://csunplugged.org/ (16.3.2013) • Bell, T. et al. Računalništvo brez računalnika, 2012, available

http://csunplugged.org/sites/default/files/books/CS_Unplugged-Slovenian_Dec2012.pdf (31.8.2013)• Cerar, Š. and Rugelj, J. Bober – mednarodno tekmovanje v informacijski in računalniški pismenosti. V:

Mednarodna multikonferenca Splet izobraževanja in raziskovanja z IKT - SIRikt 2012. (2012). Ljubljana: Miška, d.o.o.: 1078 – 1085, available http://prispevki.sirikt.si/datoteke/zbornik_sirikt2012.pdf (16.3.2013)

• Demšar, J. Zbirka nalog Bober. Internal material, 2013.• Futschek, G. and Moschitz, J. Developing Algorithmic Thinking by Inventing and Playing Algorithms. Paris,

2010, available http://publik.tuwien.ac.at/files/PubDat_187461.pdf (24.7.2014)• Kapp, K. M. The Gamification of Learning and Instruction: game-based methods and strategies for training

and education. San Francisco: Pfeiffer, 2012.• Shaffer, D. W. How computer games help children learn. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.• Učni načrt. Izbirni predmet: program osnovnošolskega izobraževanja. Računalništvo, Ljubljana: Ministrstvo

za šolstvo, znanost in šport: Zavod RD za šolstvo, 2002, available http://www.mizs.gov.si/fileadmin/mizs.gov.si/pageuploads/podrocje/os/devetletka/predmeti_izbirni/Racunalnistvo_izbirni.pdf (28.7.2014)

• Whitton, N and Moseley, A. Using games to enhance learning and teaching. New York; London: Roufledge, 2012.