Development of an Integrated Art and Visual Programming Framework for Ghanaian Basic Schools based on a 21st century skill deficiency diagnostic on two basic school subjects

Abstract

Owing to the innovative and technological intensification in the modern age,21 st century skills have become a necessity for survival in the digital age. As the purpose of every education system is to make capable graduates to fit and function effectively in their environment, these skills have become inevitably relevant. Artmakes use of creativity, exploratory and imaginative skills, thus giving learners the urge to unearth and nurture talents. Programming is necessary for every student because it enhances 21 st century skills in addition to logical thinking skills. When children get exposed to the concepts of art and programming early, they secure a good foundation for success in any 21 st century career path. Evidently, in basic school level, teaching and learning activities are deficient of 21 st century skill development components. The study employed Qualitative design and descriptive statistics, selecting 9 respondents: Curriculum Developers (3) and ICT teachers (6). This paper therefore presents a review of two essential subjects: Information Communication and Technology (ICT) and Basic Design and Technology (BDT). These are subjects of study in Ghanaian Junior High Schools. It also presents a conceptual framework to remediate the deficiency, and to enhance the development of the 21 st century skills.

Integration of Critical Thinking Skills in Science Learning Using Blended Learning System

“…Teachers should be aware that every student has different skills, and if possible, they should pay more attention to lower abilities. Someone with critical thinking skills will be tasked with turning criticism into constructive criticism that will contribute to better problem solving (Essel et al, 2017).…”

Visual design of art based on interactive technology and environment aware intelligent devices

“…The focus of its artistic creation is the inevitable change under the impact of the data era and mass production era. Visual programming will endow digital art design with many new values and possibilities [9]. From reality to virtual, from results to engineering, from concrete to abstract, it will also provide a new perspective for generating art and interactive art [10].…”

Research on the Impacts of Cognitive Style and Computational Thinking on College Students in a Visual Artificial Intelligence Course

“…Visual programming plays an important role in programming education to promote students’ understanding of programming and to maximize their engagement in problem-solving ( Mladenović et al, 2021 ). Visual programming provides a programming interface that helps students learn programming concepts and processes ( Lye and Koh, 2014 ; Chao, 2016 ; Essel et al, 2017 ; Mladenović et al, 2018 ; Scherer et al, 2020 ). In particular, Hu et al (2021) indicated that visual programming can improve student’s academic performance with a small to medium significant overall mean effect size in this area.…”

“…A visual programming environment allows students to focus on developing and designing programs ( Mladenović et al, 2018 ; Topalli and Cagiltay, 2018 ), so they become more motivated to solve programming problems without grammar constraints. Visual programming has major learning benefits for students, including an intuitive programming interface and reduced difficulties related to programming ( Lye and Koh, 2014 ; Essel et al, 2017 ; Mladenović et al, 2018 ; Lindberg et al, 2019 ). Considering the need to effectively develop AI talents at the university level, it is necessary to consider the learning benefits provided by a visual programming learning environment.…”