Abstract:

Among the skills most valued in the 21st century are logical reasoning, creativity and the ability to solve problems, from the simplest to the most complex and challenging. To meet this demand for training, Computational Thinking (CP) can help future teachers and students develop ways of thinking and solving problems that transcend programming and are applicable across disciplines. In this sense, this study proposes to discuss the results of a formative action that sought to train 29 primary and secondary school teachers from public schools located in the northwest of Paraná-Brazil, on the development of Computational Thinking, both in terms of their perceptions of the term CP and their performance in an activity involving the foundation “pattern recognition”. To do this, we used the action research methodology, which is characterized by the integration of action and scientific investigation. The results of this investigation showed that, for the majority of teachers, CP is intrinsically linked to operating devices or coding, i.e. an excessive focus on programming language, which often obscures its essential cognitive abilities. The perception of PC as a purely technological skill and not as a way of thinking to solve problems (Wing, 2006) limits its applicability in unplugged contexts and other dimensions, such as its application to teaching curriculum content. With regard to the results obtained through the activity involving pattern recognition, participants were asked to decipher a coded message based on a pattern of letter substitutions. This proposal required the identification of regularities in the data sequence (encrypted text) in order to decode it, an essential skill for analyzing data and solving problems in various contexts. Of the 29 participants, only 11.1% managed to completely decipher the message and understand the encryption pattern. The complexity of the pattern, which required the identification of multiple regularities, represented a significant challenge for most of the participants. The result indicated that the ability to recognize patterns, when it requires more complex analysis and the combination of multiple options, is a challenge for the teachers investigated. The fact that most of the participants were unable to identify the pattern in order to decipher the message shows that transposing more complex problems involving pattern recognition into practice requires more training, both theoretical and practical. Difficulties in recognizing and applying complex patterns can have an impact on teachers' ability to propose and conduct classroom activities that require this skill from their students. The results of this study suggest the need for more in-depth and contextualized teacher training proposals that develop fundamental CP skills and strengthen teachers' ability to promote activities that prioritize logical reasoning and problem-solving with students in the classroom.

Keywords:

Computational thinking, concept, pattern recognition.