Fostering Computational Thinking and Creativity in Early Childhood Education

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the design and implementation of coding, programming, and robotics activities in real-world classroom conditions in early childhood education that foster computational thinking and creativity. The study extends the author's experience in designing learning environments through experimentation, exploration, expression, construction, meaning negotiation, and collaboration. The author tries to gain further insight into the potential of implementing unplugged activities, robotics systems, and programming environments in the context of multi-disciplinary, hands-on activities. Using a variety of tools, strategies, and methods as well as qualitative approaches employed in case studies of classroom practice during Afternoon Robotics Club courses, the findings highlight the overall process indicating some special features that contribute to or cause difficulty in the formation of an effective learning experience. Special issues of interest, key aspects, solutions, and recommendations, as well as future research directions, are discussed.

Technology-Integrated Computing Education in Early Childhood: A Systematic Literature Review

“…By cultivating these skills, children can gain a deeper understanding of how computers work, paving the way for more advanced computer science (CS) learning and improving their grasp of other STEM subjects (Li et al, 2020). Furthermore, the ability to program and apply CT skills empowers children to participate more fully in our technology-driven world (Glezou, 2022).…”

Computational Thinking (CT) towards Creative Action: Developing a Project-Based Instructional Taxonomy (PBIT) in AI Education

“…CT has been regarded used to design and develop new strategies to link theories and practice [3], which help to analyze, identify, and organize relatively complex and ill-defined tasks [8]. This brings studies on CT education development from a creativity perspective [9,10]. Yadav and Cooper [11] described how platforms like Alice or Scratch provide opportunities for students to extend their creative expression to solve problems and create computational artifacts.…”