Computational thinking development through physical computing activities in STEAM education

Abstract

The importance of computational thinking (CT) development has increased during the last decade. There is a need to understand what to teach from computational thinking perspectives, as well as what types of activities and learning content topics to use in the classroom. Current students' generation is looking for engaging, motivating learning activities with immediate results and feedback. The paper presents the design process of the strategy for CT abilities development. The proposed strategy has been implemented in practice to identify its suitability for successful CT development within Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) education. The strategy is accompanied by teaching materials for computational making activities with Arduino. The proposed strategy contributes to Engineering education as an essential part of STEAM and usually not included in the basic and secondary school curriculum as a separate subject. Pre‐ and postsurvey were conducted with basic school students to identify the effect of the strategy implementation on the development of CT abilities. The findings of this study showed a statistically significant increase in CT literacy in 14 abilities from seven dimensions: computing artifact, decomposition, abstraction, algorithm, communication and collaboration, computing and society, and evaluation. The implications of this study include the practical usage of the strategy in plan class activities for STEAM subjects in basic school to develop particular CT abilities.

Implementation of Information Technology into the Education of Music Teachers

“…The fourth possibility is the introduction of multimedia materials into music education. The fifth point of view is the integration of music technology into the curriculum and national standards (Juskeviciene et al, 2020).…”

The Influence Mechanism of High School English Grammar Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics Teaching Model on High School Students’ Learning Psychological Motivation

“…STEAM education has been greatly extended and developed based on STEM education, and a new education model has been formed. It integrates technology and engineering education and arts and humanities education to drive innovation and development in technology-related teaching ( Juškevičienė et al, 2021 ).…”

Integrating Multiculturalism Into Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Programming Lessons: Examining Inter-Ethnicity Differences in Learning Expectancy, Motivation, and Effectiveness

“…The main goal of these IT or programming lessons is not only to give trainees the basic knowledge on how to write programs, but also to train them to improve their own living conditions by reflecting on their own unique experiences, as well as identify the thinking and learning methods that best suit them through constantly learning from mistakes. This form of educational spirit and proposition in non-professional fields helps strengthen the spirit of innovation and competition ( Juškevičienė et al, 2021 ; Lai et al, 2021 ).…”