\u00bfListo? Empecemos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What is computational thinking?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
You might be put off by the term, perhaps assuming that it\u2019s about forcing creative human beings to think with the cold-hearted logic of a computer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But actually, all of us engage in Computational Thinking (CT) every day of our lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Por ejemplo:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We’re rushing to leave the house and can’t find our keys. We get to the train station, and the train has already departed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
We\u2019re left with problems to solve<\/strong>. In a nutshell: that\u2019s CT. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In the simplest terms, CT is problem-solving. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But if we really pick it apart, it\u2019s the process of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n We could break CT down into the following processes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the process of breaking a problem down<\/strong> into smaller, more manageable parts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ultimately, decomposing a problem<\/strong> is the key to finding a reasonable and practical solution<\/strong>, helping large, seemingly insurmountable challenges feel approachable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is the ability to look at each element of the deconstructed problem to identify:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Effectively, pattern recognition helps us make informed decisions and even predictions based on the evidence and information from Step 1. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is about simplifying the problem<\/strong> and making it easier to visualize the solution<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Abstraction is the process of:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Essentially, discarding the irrelevant details <\/strong>helps us see the solution more clearly<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You baked a cake, and it failed to rise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, you go back to the beginning with a tick list:<\/p>\n\n\n\n This tick list helps us decompose the problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, you look for patterns:<\/p>\n\n\n\n OK \u2014 you can extract this from further consideration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However:<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, you can’t rule this one out. Instead, you can make a note to ensure that you definitely preheat the oven next time, adding a new step to the process (an algorithmic solution). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Pero: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Again, this is an analog problem that\u2019s difficult to audit \u2014 but you can negate the problem by buying an oven thermometer and using it next time (again, adding a new process to the algorithm)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally: <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, you can abstract this point from the problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This means the solution is most likely to have something to do with the oven: inadequate preheating or not reaching the right temperature. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As long as you mitigate these problems in future, you’ve potentially solved your problem by abstraction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So you rewrite the instructions (algorithm) to include the new stages that will hopefully solve the problem next time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n An algorithm is essentially a list of step-by-step instructions that successfully lead to a completed task. So, if it didn\u2019t work last time, you revise the list and try again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, the fourth stage of CT is about gathering the salient elements of Steps 1-3 and building a logical, efficient, and effective solution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Essentially, we go through these thought processes daily, making decisions and abstractions in the blink of an eye. And it’s essential for children to develop these problem-solving skills<\/a> because it equips them for life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Because no matter how much we might try to shield our kids from challenges, they will have to face them eventually. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Indeed, the more your children face CT problems from an early age, the more adept they become at handling the complex learning and social situations they will encounter as they progress through their educational careers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Classroom students of the present are the adults of the future. And, effectively, school prepares them for jobs that quite likely don’t exist yet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Think about it: if you grew up in the 80s, there was no such thing as a:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The list goes on. We weren\u2019t trained for those jobs because they hadn\u2019t happened yet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, the \u201ccontent acquisition\u201d of old (as in learning facts and figures<\/strong>) may not equip future adults with the skills for life they\u2019ll need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This has prompted mainstream educators around the world to move from the content acquisitional model of learning to one of higher-order thinking skills<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore:<\/p>\n\n\n\n CT is a higher-order thinking skill<\/strong> that will equip the future generation for an ever-evolving employment market<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While CT isn\u2019t strictly confined to technology, computational thinking helps learners consider how they might utilize tech to aid the problem-solving process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Because if there\u2019s \u201can app for that,\u201d it makes sense for today\u2019s learners to use it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Computational thinking helps children:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the words of Albert Einstein, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n On the other hand, CT teaches learners to identify problems<\/strong> y devise original solutions<\/strong>, encouraging them to find repeatable steps<\/strong>, using algorithmic language to express them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Computational thinkers are natural problem solvers<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And this is a valuable skill for life and industry, from the sciences to business to healthcare to \u2014 well, everyday life. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Ultimately, we don\u2019t all need to be \u201cinventors\u201d \u2014 computational thinkers already know what a wheel does, and they find an innovative way to use the old wheel to solve a new problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Computational thinkers are innovators by nature because they\u2019re good at abstraction \u2014 identifying and sifting, extracting solutions from problems using existing processes<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Consider the \u201cFirst Follower: Leadership Lessons from Dancing Guy<\/a>\u201d YouTube video. It\u2019s had 7.8 million views because it defines something important about life, leadership, and innovation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In a nutshell, it explores the role of the innovator \u2014 the person who sees<\/strong> a great idea and enhances<\/strong> it by reinforcement, using it to solve a new problem that the inventor might have missed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of our most significant modern social problems is the reluctance to gather the facts<\/strong> before forming an opinion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Many people jump on the bandwagon without researching the whole story \u2014 they gain a little glimpse of a fact that reinforces their personal bias, and they join the protest, causing unknown levels of havoc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, computational thinkers innately rely on research evidence. So we teach CT students how to use data and resources to produce genuine results. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Google, Microsoft, and Apple recruit and train their staff in CT, recognizing its importance in keeping their in-house thinking competitive and advantageous. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Any teacher reading this article will recognize how the processes of decomposition, pattern recognition, and abstraction are innate in almost all approaches to teaching and learning. After all, learning is often about finding repeatable algorithmic solutions that help pupils develop their knowledge base. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Indeed, regardless of the subject, from the sciences to the arts, computational thinking makes our learners go from unconscious incompetence to unconscious competence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Because learning is about overcoming challenges and problems and never giving up till the solution emerges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, computational thinking is a key skill for successful computer coders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Effectively, computers are adept at endlessly repeating the tedious processes that we, as human thinkers, prefer to steer clear of. But in many ways, we’re better than traditional computers because they just follow instructions whether they work or not; we can work out which stage of the process went wrong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, the ability to problem-solve in life is directly applicable to successful coding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Consider this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n If an algoritmo<\/a> is a string of instructions, like a cake recipe, computational thinking comes in handy when the cake goes flat, or you open the oven to a burnt crust. It means you missed or misread one of the steps \u2014 and CT helps us troubleshoot so you can complete the process successfully next time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s why we still need people in businesses. Computer operators spend months stress-testing software processes before the application gets released to the public. So, hopefully, by the time the general public uses the software, there are no bugs that impede operation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Codemonkey Jr. challenges learners to program a monkey’s journey to catch bananas and unlock a treasure chest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With progressive levels that increase the challenge as the child progresses at their own rate, this fun, colorful coding platform<\/a> helps children develop key CT skills while learning the functions of computer coding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, the platform is so accessible and fun your kids probably won’t even realize it’s a lesson activity at all. <\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat are the four elements of Computational Thinking? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Por ejemplo:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
A solution<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"computational](\"https:\/\/www.codemonkey.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/computational-thinking.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nCT in everyday life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Why is computational thinking important for learners?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Computational thinking helps learners develop tech-based solutions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What are the advantages of computational thinking?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How CT relates to coding<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Codemonkey coding games for computational thinking<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
What is computational thinking for early years?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n