Work Process
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Digital And Nondigital Activities approaches in Learning Programming Concepts
“Programming is the process of creating a set of instructions that tell a computer how to perform a task”. For the process of communication with a computer, there are a variety of programming languages to implement algorithms so the computer can give us solutions as an output, which may be a computer software, a mobile application or even a video game.
When teaching programming at an early age, the focus is not on waiting for them to create complicated software, but on starting a coding journey from basic concepts such as sequencing, algorithms, decomposition, etc. According to Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget and his cognitive-development theory, children at the age of five are in the preoperational stage, when they begin to understand the world through the use of mental representations via words and images. Based on this even if kids can not read or write well they may start from unplugged coding activities and then go over to visual programming languages where the code is built from blocks.
We refer to lessons in which students are not working on a computer as “unplugged.” Students will often work with pencil and paper or physical manipulatives. These are intentionally placed kinesthetic opportunities that help students digest complicated concepts in ways that relate to their own lives.
Unplugged lessons are particularly useful for building and maintaining a collaborative classroom environment, and they are useful touchstone experiences you can refer to when introducing more abstract concepts.
AIMS
- Teach the fundamentals of computer science;
- Buildon the understanding of algorithms
- Develop the skillsof a computer scientist through the development of Computational ThinkingPractices (Creativity Collaboration Communication, Persistence, Problem, Solving)
- Learning Debugging as an essential elementof learning to program.
- Learning bases concepts of programming through unplugged coding activities.
- Learning bases concepts of programming through visual programming languages.
WORK PROCESS
- Monthly meetings will be held with partners
- October:
- Beginning of the project, registration of students, guests on twinspace;
- Teachers webinar, set up the goals, survey;
- Students-Teacher webinar, introducing themselves by interactive activities, introduction of country and themselves;
- Logo and Poster activity by students.
- November:
- Teachers webinar, planning details about month activities
- Activities about eSafety;
- Create activity and participate in EU Code Week (all teachers will attend the same activity from different countries).
- December
- Teachers webinar, planning details about month activities;
- Unplugged activities for teaching concept of sequencing in programming;
- Digital activities for teaching concept of sequencing in programming;
- Teachers and students webinar;
- January
- Teachers webinar, planning details about month activities;
- Unplugged activities for teaching concept of selection in programming;
- Digital activities for teaching concept of selection in programming;
- Collaborative work, pair meetings of partners.
- February
- Teachers webinar, planning details about month activities;
- Unplugged activities for teaching concept of iteration in programming;
- Digital activities for teaching concept of iteration in programming;
- Collaborative work, pair meetings of partners.
EXPECTED RESULTS
Students:
- Having extensive knowledge about main programming concepts;
- Gaining knowledge of algorithms structures;
- Developing algorithms and improve coding skills;
- Improving students' critical, creative, problem-solving skills,
- Developing mini programs by using simple visual programming environments,
- Being introduced with future professions related to IT;
Teachers:
- Give coding training
- Organize education
- To meet with different cultures
- Finding solutions for problems
- We aim for teamwork skills