Abstract:

Nowadays, the extremely rapid development in the field of information and communication technologies is virtually unstoppable, and so is the penetration of information and communication technologies into absolutely all areas of everyday life. This fact also points in the direction of where attention should be focused in the educational process so that the youngest generation also acquires the skills and habits necessary to master the effective use of ICT. One of the options for education is to focus on building and developing algorithmic thinking and problem-solving skills in children and young people. However, even this is a virtually endless process, as these skills need to be continually honed and given the space to progress. The curriculum of the subject of computer science for primary school pupils also aims to make available the basic concepts and techniques used in working with data or creating algorithms and computational processes. One of the core modules of this curriculum is the opportunity to impart education in algorithmic problem solving and to improve algorithmic thinking through the creation of programs and work in children's programming languages. In this article, the author describes her long-term experience gained through systematic research and observation of children in the classroom. She has often dealt with the dilemma of whether it is necessary to deal with this discipline in primary school. She was looking for an answer to the question of whether it is necessary and important to teach children in primary schools to algorithmize and program. How to teach, what methods to use, what tools and resources to use. In the article, she provides convincing examples and demonstrations of how to effectively teach programming and the creation of software applications to children and primary school pupils in a microworld environment, and how to develop their algorithmic thinking and the ability to solve simple problems in the process. She also reports on the results she has achieved and how primary school and eight-year grammar school pupils perceived working in a microworld environment.

Keywords:

Algorithmization and programming in Primary Education, work in microworlds.