It’s Computational Thinking! Bebras tasks in the curriculum

Valentina Dagiene, University of Vilnius

Sue Sentance, King’s College London

Bebras - International Challenge on Informatics and Computational Thinking”

• Award-winning, international contest/challenge

• Running since 2004

• Now in 50+ countries

• Primary and secondary aged students participate

• Tasks should be solved in 3 minutes

• Tasks should relate to informatics/computer science concepts

Computing in the curriculum

• Computing/computer science/informatics being introduced in many countries

• Computational thinking is increasingly a major focus

• There is a need for teacher CPD

• There is a need for resources around assessment for learning

• Resources exist and we should not be inventing the wheel

Where does come in?

Computing in the curriculum (contd)

Computational thinking

• Has become a major focus in the delivery of Computing

• BUT teachers may not understand what it is

• AND can be difficult to exemplify

Assessment

• Focus on resources and subject knowledge professional development may lead to assessment being neglected

• Assessment for learning provides feedback to students on their progress and aids learning

Bebras

Our rationale

Bebras – as enrichment• One week a year

• 45 minutes to take

• Engage students with informatics

• Show links between tasks and puzzles and serious computer science/informatics

Bebras – as curriculum content

• All-year round

• Find tasks relating to a topic/area of CT

• Add engaging assessment to a topic

• Exemplification of computational thinking skills

• Provides teacher CPD

In this presentation

• Operational definitions of computational thinking

• Bebras tasks which exemplify aspects of computational thinking

• Bebras tasks which exemplify aspects of the curriculum

• Where next?

• Conclusion

What is Computational Thinking?CSTA/ISTA operational definition of CT:

• Formulating problems in a way that enables us to use a computer and other tools to help solve them

• Logic and predicting analytics

• Data organizing and analysing.

• Representing data through abstractions such as models and simulations.

• Automating solutions through algorithmic thinking (a series of ordered steps).

• Identifying, analysing, and implementing possible solutions with the goal of achieving the most efficient and effective combination of steps and resources.

• Generalizing and transferring this problem solving process to a wide variety of problems.

ISTE & CSTA (2011)

CT in curriculum in England

• Abstraction

• Algorithmic thinking

• Decomposition

• Evaluation

• Generalisation

(Selby & Woollard, 2013)

CT and Bebras tasks – some examples

Algorithmic thinking – Crane operating

To solve the problem, the student needs to execute a sequence of instructions – ie an algorithm

Abstraction – Walnut animal

Abstraction means hiding unnecessary details in order to solve the problem.

Decomposition - Stack Computer

In this task decomposition is required to break up the task and to deal with one section at a time.

Evaluation - Bracelet

To solve this problem it is necessary to evaluate the four options and consider which fits the original bracelet.

Generalisation – Mobiles

Generalisation is associated with identifying patterns, similarities and connections, and exploiting those features. It is a way of quickly solving new problems based on previous solutions to problems, and building on prior experience. (Csizmadia et al, 2015)

Curriculum topics

Bebras tasks can also be linked to the curriculum based on the topic under consideration:

• Algorithms and programming

• Data, data structures and representation

• Computer architecture and processes

• Communications and networking

• Interaction, systems and society

Data structures – Biber hotel

This Beaver Den is structured like a binary tree so going left takes you to a lower numbered room and right takes you to a higher numbered room. Because the den is organised in this way it becomes easy to find the correct room once you realise this.

Logical operators – Dream Dress

Logical operators are used in algorithms and in programming. To solve the problem an understanding of AND is needed

Networks - Spies

This problem relates to communication within a network and discussing it can be linked to the problems that computer scientists have around establishing efficient methods for communication

Question

What next?

• To support teachers wishing to use Bebras tasks as part of the curriculum they need to be categorised so appropriate tasks can be easily found with useful explanations for the teacher.

• We are continuing to propose a classification in conjunction with the Bebras community (in a more detailed paper)

• We hope that countries can use the classification to label and sort their existing Bebras tasks and make available to teachers for activities in lessons, perhaps adapted for pedagogical use.

Conclusion and key messages

• Bebras tasks cover a range of computational thinking skills

• They also are linked to particular informatics topics

• Teachers who can access the appropriate ones for their teaching can use them in the curriculum

• Bebras tasks can be a useful assessment for learning tool as feedback and explanations can help the learners to progress.