Furthermore, as educators indicate that the tool that is most used both in primary and secondary education is Scratch, our work is focused on this programming platform/language. Since the best scientific knowledge on the topic to this date shows that the most effective way to foster CT from early ages is by means of programming activities, this thesis investigates the development of CT through coding. The reviews on the state of CT in education that have been performed coincide in three main, fundamental aspects that require urgent attention from academia: assessment of CT skills, transference of CT skills and factors affecting CT skills.Ĭonsequently, aiming to fill the gaps identified in the research literature, the main goal of this thesis is to provide evidence that could help policy makers and educators in the introduction of CT skills in the school curriculum. This movement has provoked a deep interest among scholars and research institutions, who are analyzing and comparing the approaches and plans of the different initiatives. The inclusion of computer programming and computational thinking (CT) skills in the school curriculum is one of the main trends in the educational landscape worldwide. We believe that this use of programming skills can allow for a deeper and more direct understanding of the subjects under investigation, using Computing to support learning in the same way that Mathematics supports the learning of subjects such as Physics. These skills can be used, in conjunction with open-source simulations, to allow students to directly read and understand (and potentially modify) the key parts of the simulation programs that they are using.
Greenfoot examples of modularzation code#
The subject of Computing, in contrast to ICT, enables students to read, understand and modify program code and algorithms. Educational simulation programs are often used as a black-box: Students are given the program to play with and are told about the principles underlying the simulation, but they are given no opportunity to relate the computer program to the knowledge being taught. Remember to ‘Compile’ when any changes are made.Computer programs can be used to support learning in various subjects: In particular, computer simulations can be used to explain science subjects such as Physics, Chemistry, and Biology (as well as wider subject areas such as Economics, Geography and Music). If you wanted to change ‘Leaf’ to ‘Grass’ make the change in the line below. This takes you to the code behind the scenario. To do this, right-click on the class again and select Open Editor. Choosing a new image for a classĪnother edit might be to change the name of a class. The name of the class would still be ‘Leaf’. Then select the new image, for example a grass-like image. Selecting a new image for a class in Greenfoot If you need to change the image for a class, right-click the class and select ‘Set Image’. This code says that the class ‘Leaf’ is an extension of the class ‘Actor’, which means that ‘Leaf’ has inherited the states and behaviours of ‘Actor’. When the definitions are completed, open the editor by right-clicking the object and selecting Open Editor. Here, a ‘Leaf’ subclass is being created: Naming a new class in Greenfoot It is then possible to name the class and select an image. Right-click on the Actor class and select ‘New subclass…’ Creating a new subclass in Greenfoot To add a new class, create it as a subclass of the Actor class. They are mainly used to alter the look of the World, for example the size and background image. For example, the Actor classes can move and turn. There are a number of methods that can be applied to items in the different classes. In the image above, the WombatWorld is the sand background. In Greenfoot, the World class is the background. In the example above, the WombatWorld subclass is connected below the World class and the Wombat subclass is connected below the Actor class. There are two main classes in Greenfoot: ‘World’ and ‘Actor’. Greenfoot’s two main classes, ‘World’ and ‘Actor’ In Greenfoot, the classes and subclasses are shown on the right-hand side of the window.
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