Abstract:

Computational thinking (CT) is a way of connecting between the world of computer science (CS) and the world of disciplinary knowledge. Using the practices of abstraction and automation scientists and engineers build computer models of natural phenomena to understand how and why they occur and to predict outcomes of disturbances to the systems generating the phenomena. The integration of CT in science classrooms to mimic this professional practice has encountered several barriers: teachers do not see the fit of this practice in their science classrooms, they do not feel they have the time in an already crowded curriculum, and they do not have the CS expertise to support students as designers and builders of computer models. This paper introduces a novel instructional approach for integrating CT within science classes without requiring science teachers to teach computer programming. The Decoding Approach was designed for middle and high school teachers to deeply engage their students in CT as investigators of scientific models. Students learn to “decode” computer models to identify where and how scientific processes are embodied in a model’s code to simulate scientific phenomena. EDC's Science+C curriculum uses the Decoding Approach and a Use-Decode-Modify progression to support high school science students’ growth in CT while simultaneously providing opportunities for students to think deeply about how and why scientific phenomena occur. The Decoding Approach also aligns with 21st Century skills through emphasizing critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and creativity; combining information, media, and Information and Communication Technology literacy within computer modeling and simulation; and engaging learners in critical evaluations of computer models as a type of media used to make predictions of the future behavior of systems. Based on an exploratory study of teachers’ implementation of the Decoding Approach and a mixed methods study of the impacts of the intervention on student learning, we discuss the potential of this approach, its benefits and drawbacks, and future directions.

Keywords:

Computational thinking, CT integration curriculum, STEM education, Computer Modeling and Simulation.