Abstract:

Computational Thinking has begun to form part of the curriculum in the educational systems of several countries, like Spain, Lithuania, etc. The implementation is being carried out in several different ways, from inclusion within the subject of Mathematics to its relationship with Computer Science and Programming. The use of Computational Thinking extends from the first years of education to university. In addition, it has also begun to have its space within the PISA evaluation tests, evolving its study and its questions over the years. Although the PISA tests have their detractors and their defenders, they are an instrument that is currently used by various governments to evaluate their systems. In this paper, we try to give a global vision of the current situation, along with an analysis of the relationship between Computational Thinking and problem solving, a relationship that could be clearer in the next evaluation PISA tests. Likewise, we propose a vision of Computational Thinking shared by several European countries within the CT&MathABLE project, defining the skills that comprise it and showing examples of the Bebras Challenge that can help teachers in the inclusion of this new cross-curricular competence in the classroom.

Keywords:

Computational Thinking, problem solving, PISA tests, skills, education.