Introducing Computational Thinking through Non-Programming Science Activities

Many programs offer informal experiences in programming for select students who may qualify or whose parents pay fees for attending. Integrating computational thinking (CT) in the formal classroom setting provides equal opportunities to develop valuable problem-solving skills for all students. However, such integration poses challenges since teachers may have limited experiences in computing and may be pressured by time constraints due to the need to cover Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) as well as district specific initiatives. A 2-year intervention has been designed to target upper elementary level self-contained classrooms to increase teachers' knowledge and ability for integrating CT into science lessons. Twenty teachers from four school districts in Southern California participated in the first year of the project's professional development activities. These schools have varying levels of diversity and socioeconomic status of student populations. Instead of using popular drag-and-drop programming tools such as Scratch or Tynker, the first year of the project focused on key CT concepts and helped teachers connect these concepts with skills important for student success in science activities. This paper reports on the study of the project's impact on student learning of key CT concepts among students from project classrooms. The main elements of the professional development are also described.