First experiences of integrating computational thinking into a blended learning in‐service training program for STEM teachers

Abstract

Over the last two decades, computational thinking (CT) has gained importance in discussions about competencies that students require to deal with complex problems in a world shaped by digitalization. Therefore, schools and teachers should integrate CT into their instructional practices. Particularly, the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) subjects are seen as a meaningful context for embedding CT. Yet, there are only a few professional development programs that address STEM teachers and how to integrate CT. Thus, in our study, we redesigned an in‐service teacher training program. The redesigned program was offered in a blended‐learning format, consisting of alternating digital and face‐to‐face phases. As part of the digital phases, an interactive online self‐learning module on CT was introduced to foster transdisciplinary competencies in the field of STEM to solve complex problems. To identify the perceptions and development of the participants of the training program and the online module on CT a within‐subject design was used with a questionnaire survey, conducted with a pre‐post‐follow‐up design. The first results of the ongoing survey indicate high satisfaction with both the program itself and the online CT module. At the beginning of the program, about two‐thirds of the participating teachers were completely unfamiliar with the term CT, nevertheless, interest in the new topic was high. It was shown the program was able to create initial awareness of the meaning and importance of CT. In addition, teachers who have engaged with CT during the intervention seem to use CT‐related practices more often in the classroom afterward.

Implementation of a Curriculum to Enhance Learning Management Competency in Computational Thinking for the Lower Secondary Teachers

“…This was in line with the concept of constructivist theory (Laowreandee, 2009;and Vella, 1995), which stated that knowledge and the method of acquiring knowledge by creating self-knowledge, interacting with other people and the environment, and learning were more effective if they were learned by doing rather than by taking. This was consistent with the research of Baytak, Land and Smith (2011), Rodríguez del Rey et al ( 2021), and Knie, Standl and Schwarzer (2022) who had conducted studies on the application of computational thinking to training courses. The results showed that the implementation of computational concepts in the educational curriculum affected the understanding of the principles of computational thinking development.…”

Blended learning in the engineering field: A systematic literature review

“…In this sample, the papers [6, 24, 66] deal with the online setting, covering the Remember, Understand, Apply and Analyze levels of the Bloom's taxonomy for remote activities, in accordance with the Figure 10. Instead, [58] and [62] focus on the Rotation learning approach, while [70] and [62] focus on the Labs. Martín‐Lara and Rico [74] is the only one focusing on the Face‐to‐Face setting.…”

Problems and Needs Assessment to Learning Management of Computational Thinking of Teachers at the Lower Secondary Level

“…Moreover, many teachers hold erroneous beliefs about how to develop computational thinking skills. This is a barrier to the development of the learners' skills (Knie, Standl, & Schwarzer, 2022;Reichert, Barone, & Kist, 2020;Rottenhofer, Sabitzer, & Rankin, 2021;Lye & Koh, 2014;Bower, Lister, Mason, Highfield, Kalelioglu et al, 2016).…”