Abstract:

Research in recent decades has shown the importance of developing computational thinking and problem-solving skills in education, which are considered core curriculum skills in the Digital Age just like reading, writing, and counting. This conception is reflected in the “Italian National Guidelines for kindergarten and for the first cycle of education” and in the European reference frameworks, e.g. the reference framework for citizens' digital skills “DigComp”. This report highlights the importance of developing computational thinking skills from early childhood to teach students to solve problems analytically, breaking them down into subproblems and planning the most suitable solution. It is therefore necessary to train teachers on new teaching methods to help students develop these skills. Our research group at the University of Turin has designed and conducted an online training course with 22 STEM teachers from kindergarten and primary school. The 14-hour course took place within a Digital Learning Environment. After a first presentation of theoretical concepts and some examples of laboratory activities for the development of problem solving and computational thinking skills, teachers were asked to design two activities: one for the development of computational thinking skills and one for the development of problem-solving skills. The activities were planned by the teachers in two three-hour online meetings, divided into small groups in order to have effective support from tutors and colleagues. They followed a model, provided by the trainers, that guided them in the planning of the different phases of the activity (general planning of the activity, formulation of the problematic situation, construction of the solution process and evaluation of the activity). All the teachers then carried out one of the planned activities in class with students. At the end of the experimentation, the teachers filled out a questionnaire to explain the activity and the results they obtained and a satisfaction questionnaire for the training course. Finally, they shared all the materials related to the activity with their colleagues. The research question of this paper is: What kind of activity can help children to develop computational thinking and problem-solving skills?

In order to answer this question, the activities designed and experimented by the teachers in their classes and the teachers' answers to the two questionnaires were analyzed. The activities start from a real or playful situation, where one or more problematic situations arise, and children have to solve them by activating specific mental processes (e.g. algorithmic thinking, logical thinking). The observation and evaluation grids used by teachers in the evaluation phase of the activity are particularly important and they allow teachers to measure both the degree of activation of mental processes employed by students during the activity and the ability to argue their ideas and collaborate with peers. The teachers greatly appreciated the course and the methodologies proposed and they think that the development of these skills is very important also in the context of a vertical curriculum. According to the teachers, the students enjoyed the activities, they all participated actively, and they enjoyed it. The activities were also effective in developing critical thinking and problem solving and computational thinking skills.

Keywords:

Computational Thinking, Digital Learning Environment, Problem Solving, STEM Education, Teacher Training.