Using Scaffolded Programming Scripts in Educational Robotics Activities to Teach Preservice Teachers Computational Thinking

In an era where computational thinking is regarded as a basic skill for the 21st century that needs to be taught across the K-12 curriculum, research shows that teacher education programs do not adequately prepare preservice teachers to promote computational thinking skills in classroom teaching. Ac...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAERA Online Paper Repository
Main Authors Angeli, Charoula M, Jaipal-Jamani, Kamini
Format Report
LanguageEnglish
Published AERA Online Paper Repository 27.04.2017
Subjects
Computation
Computer Software
Educational Games
Foreign Countries
Preservice Teacher Education
Preservice Teachers
Programming
Programming Languages
Robotics
Scaffolding (Teaching Technique)
Science Education
Thinking Skills
Canada
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Summary:In an era where computational thinking is regarded as a basic skill for the 21st century that needs to be taught across the K-12 curriculum, research shows that teacher education programs do not adequately prepare preservice teachers to promote computational thinking skills in classroom teaching. Accordingly, the present study contributes to the body of knowledge that can be used to inform the teaching of computational thinking in teacher education through the use of scaffolded programming scripts with educational robotics activities, within the context of a science lesson about gears. The study reports effects on preservice teachers' computational thinking, knowledge about gears, and self-reported efficacy to teach with educational robotics.