Abstract:

Nowadays, a lot of research is focusing on the methodology of teaching informatics, which is typically conducted in high-level programming languages. In Slovakia, more progress has been made in recent years to ensure that students are involved in algorithmic thinking to help them acquire modern skills form elementary school years. The key to success of these efforts is for teachers to make the most out of this opportunity.

The aim of this study is to outline an experiential methodological guide that can be a useful tool in the hands of teachers. We have chosen Scratch as the educational platform, so we will also talk about the possibilities inherent in the tool. The work discusses frontal method, problem-based teaching, group work, and experiential teaching methods, and reviews their effectiveness from the perspective of elementary school programming education. Like any field of education, programming has its own challenges and difficulties. Our goal is to draw attention to the most common problems in the preparatory stage of this field of science. The paper provides insight how to overcome and recommendations how to solve the challenges created by abstract concepts like conditions, loops, variables.

Keywords:

Experience-based, teaching, Scratch, programming, problem solving.