Designing for learning mathematics through programming: A case study of pupils engaging with place value

Abstract

This paper focuses on a major part of a two-year intervention, ScratchMaths (SM), which seeks to exploit programming for the learning of mathematics. The SM hypothesis is that given the right design of curriculum, pedagogy and digital tools, pupils can engage with and express important mathematical ideas through computer programming. We describe the overall design of SM and as an illustration of the approach, we elaborate a more detailed description of the specific SM activities that seek to harness the programming concept of 'objects communicating with one another' for the exploration of the mathematical concept of place value through a syntonic approach to learning. We report a case study of how these activities were implemented in two primary classes. Our findings constitute a kind of existence theorem: that with carefully designed and sequenced learning activities and appropriate teacher support, this approach can allow pupils to engage with difficult mathematical ideas in new, meaningful and generalisable ways. We also point to the challenges which emerged through this process in ensuring pupils encounter these mathematical ideas.

Enhancing Student Motivation in Secondary School Mathematics Courses: A Methodological Approach

“…In another paper, dealing with computer games in mathematics, it was concluded that educational computer games make lessons more enjoyable for the student body and, moreover, they help students to develop positive attitudes and motivation towards doing mathematics [27]. Similar results were found in a recent study where programming was used to improve the learning of mathematics [28].…”

Novel pedagogical tool for simultaneous learning of plane geometry and R programming

“…The ScratchMaths project Benton et al (2016) was developed in four schools located in London with students aged 9 to 11 years to learn mathematics through Scratch programming on four basic objectives: to explore, explain, predict and share. This project is still in progress and has recently shown that the correct design and sequencing of activities around a mathematical concept, together with the continuous help of specialized teachers, allows students to learn with interest and in a meaningful way Benton et al (2018).…”

“…This project is still in progress and has recently shown that the correct design and sequencing of activities around a mathematical concept, together with the continuous help of specialized teachers, allows students to learn with interest and in a meaningful way Benton et al (2018).…”

Editorial — Special Issue on Computational Thinking and Coding in Childhood

“…A longstanding question in computing education research is the relationship between what is learnt when programming and learning in other areas -the issue of transfer. Benton, Saunders, Kalas, Hoyles and Noss [4] remind us that we should refrain from simply expecting domain transfer "as a spin-off from learning to program" but rather something we might facilitate by developing the right environments, activities and pedagogical support. In their paper, the authors report on their efforts to achieve this as part of a two year intervention project, ScratchMaths (SM), which seeks to exploit programming for the learning of mathematics.…”

“…The second theme examines the relationship between computational thinking and other topics in the curriculum. This focus is instantiated in two ways, with de Paula et al [3] examining projects which necessitate a combination of computation and other non-STEM topics (in this case, storytelling through game development), while Benton et al [4] consider the the extent to which learning to code allows students to engage with concepts from other domains (mathematics) in new and effective ways.…”