Visual block-based programming environments (VBBPEs) such as Scratch and Alice are increasingly being used in introductory computer science lessons across elementary school grades. These environments, and the curricula that accompany them, are designed to be developmentally-appropriate and engaging for younger learners but may introduce challenges for future computer science educators. Using the final projects of 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students who completed an introductory curriculum using a VBBPE, this paper focuses on patterns that show success within the context of VBBPEs but could pose potential challenges for teachers of follow-up computer science instruction. This paper focuses on three specific strategies observed in learners' projects: (1) wait blocks being used to manage program execution, (2) the use of event-based programming strategies to produce parallel outcomes, and (3) the coupling of taught concepts to curricular presentation. For each of these outcomes, we present data on how the course materials supported them, what learners achieved while enacting them, and the implications the strategy poses for future educators. We then discuss possible design and pedagogical responses. The contribution of this work is that it identifies early computer science learning strategies, contextualizes them within developmentally-appropriate environments, and discusses their implications with respect to future pedagogy. This paper advances our understanding of the role of VBBPEs in introductory computing and their place within the larger K-12 computer science trajectory.
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Building Blocks: Kids Designing scientific, domain-specific, block- based, agent-based microworlds
Next Generation Science Standards foreground science practices as important goals of science education. In this paper, we discuss the design of block-based modeling environments for learning experiences that ask students to actively explore complex systems via computer programming. Specifically, we discuss the implications of the design and selection of the types of blocks given to learners in these environments and how they may affect students’ thinking about the process of modeling and theorizing. We conclude with a discussion of some preliminary findings in this design based research to inform design principles for block-based programming of science phenomena as a medium for learning to build theory.
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- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10199201
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- International Conference of the Learning Sciences (2020)
- Issue:
- Jun-2020
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 1641-1644
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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