Computational thinking

Three skills that successful users of technology demonstrate are:

1) Logical thinking

2) Resilience

3) Technical proficiency

Thought processes

Following a logical process is important to solving problems in all subjects. The difference between children who do this and do not is evident with tasks such as 'build a tower out of paper', but also with story writing, problem solving in Maths, programming and even sporting challenges!

An example of a logical process is the Engineering process. This is usually defined as:

1) Identify the problem

2) Brainstorm ideas

3) Choose a solution

4) Build a prototype

5) Test and improve

A variation on this which I have been using recently with children is 'Design thinking' with children. Design Thinking involves the following steps:

1) Empathise - understand the problem, why it exists, who encounters it

2) Define - think about constraints, available materials, funds and requirements, including measurements

3) Ideate - sketch possible solutions to the problem, encouraging lateral thinking

4) Prototype - choose a solution to build

5) Test - gather data and consider whether to improve the prototype or redesign

Computational thinking is another example of a logical thought process. Computational thinking is usually defined as having several key aspects:

1) Decomposing a problem

2) Spotting patterns

3) Abstraction - realising what needs to be focused on and what can be ignored

4) Algorithm design - coming up with instructions that solve the problem

5) Debugging - finding and fixing errors

Decomposition involves children breaking a problem down and give sufficient weight to each part. It also helps children to realise that they should not spend too much time on any one part. When writing stories for example, children often put more thought into the first two paragraphs than the ending, because that is what they start with! When learning to kick a football, there are steps that can be followed to ensure success. When programming, children should be taught to think about each aspect of the program and what it needs to do.

Pattern recognition helps children to realise that they can use the same solution several times. They may spot repetition within a task, such as realising that a bridge can be made up of several triangles. Or they may spot repetition between tasks, such as realising that they can break a hexagon into triangles and find its area this way.

Abstraction is harder to explain to children, but I would define it as identifying what is important to focus on and what we can ignore. In Computing, the term 'layers of abstraction' is used to explain things that are already done and we do not need to consider - such as a programmer not needing to know how a computer screen works.

I would encourage schools to develop a process for solving problems that incorporates elements from different thought processes. Computational thinking is possibly the most easily adapted, although I might rename it something like 'logical thinking' if it was to be used across subjects.

Resilience

Resilience is having the skills and experience to persevere when challenges are encountered. We tend to think of resilience as being and inherent quality, but it is being taught more explicitly by schools through ideas such as growth mindset. Resilience means accepting that it is okay for things to be hard and that through working at a level that is sufficiently challenging, we develop. This is what Vygotsky famously explained in his 'Zone of Proximal Development'.

As long as children are equipped with a logical thought process and some technical understanding, they can be expected to demonstrate and grow their resilience. If a task is too hard, or children do not have support available, we cannot expect them to show much resilience.

Providing children with instructions to complete a task which they can view at their own pace is a good way to develop children's resilience. Children who build Lego models or do activities like cooking or model making are likely to have better resilience than children who do not.

In the classroom, we can provide instructions for children through video and other materials that they can use at their own pace. It is much easier to be resilient when you have instructions to fall back on, than when you do not.

We can also expose children to activities where they will experience some failure, before ultimately succeeding. Sport is a good way of developing this, but carefully constructed activities in any subject can emphasise the growth mindset principle of having not succeeded 'yet'.

Conclusion

In my experience, schools often give more weight to teaching technical proficiency in subjects, teaching children the literacy, numeracy and technical skills they need to solve problems. However, this is only part of what children need in order to solve problems. Teaching things like following a logical process and demonstrating resilience develops children's independence, self esteem and pays dividends across all subjects.