Applying and Improving Multidisciplinary Teaching Techniques to the Programming Classroom Environment

Abstract

As we move into the 21st century, there will be a significant increase in the need for computer coders and programmers in STEM and other technical jobs. The broadening of the student base, and their respective variations of skills, necessitates a review and reconsideration of the way computer programming is taught if it is to attain maximum success. This paper approaches computer programming education from a multidisciplinary perspective, comparing it to the learning of a language as a foreign language versus a second language. Various techniques are evaluated within the parameters of both Dale's Cone of Experience and Bloom's Taxonomy to craft an effective learning environment.

Learning to Write Programs using Think-Pair-Share Programming Strategy: What are the Students’ Perceptions and Experiences?

“…The demand for individuals with programming skills is ever increasing and will continue for a very long time. There is a projection that many jobs in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in 2020 will require possession of the knowledge and skills of programming (Massoud, Hallman, Plaisent, & Bernard, 2018). According to Patton (2020), the ever-increasing request for individuals with skills of programming makes them desirable for every individual to learn for productive participation in the wider society.…”

“…Pair programming can also be an effective intervention for beginner programmers with little impact time. From the multidisciplinary approach standpoint, Massoud et al (2018) compared the learning of programming to that of language learning with the suggestion that the application of language learning techniques to explore how to write computer programs can improve students' acquisition of the knowledge and skills of programming. The think-pair-share (TPS) strategy has been used effectively in the literature for language teaching (Aeni, 2020;Mundriyah & Parmawati, 2016;Sari, Komariah, & Isa, 2019).…”