As we saw in our previous article, Computational Thinking has been analysed from various perspectives in recent years. However, they all have a common link: the works of Papert and Wing.
Different authors and working groups have enriched Papert and Wing’s definitions over the last few decades. All of them have contributed to make an increasingly richer work proposal which, together with the support of Aonia Educación, ProFuturo has included to build our vision of Computational Thinking in vulnerable environments. Here are some of the cornerstones of this collaborative work.
United States National Research Council – 2010 and 2011
For two consecutive years (2010 and 2011), the National Research Council of the United States convened two meetings in which various authors worked on the pedagogical perspective of Computational Thinking.
They started from a common definition that conceives Computational Thinking as “a broad range of mental tools and concepts from computer science that help people solve problems, design systems, understand human behaviour, and engage computers to assist in automating a wide range of intellectual processes” (National Research Council, 2010, pg. 23).
This definition incorporates a humanistic and utilitarian approach to computer science as a tool applied to human problem solving.
The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) – 2011
In parallel, the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) proposed their own definition. According to these two groups, Computational Thinking is essentially a problem-solving process that includes various elements: the formulation of problems, the organisation of data and its representation or the identification of possible solutions.
The ISTE is one of the essential bodies when looking for references on Computational Thinking. In addition, its lines of research are worthy of mentioning. You can read more about ISTE and Computational Thinking here.
Selby & Woollard – 2013
In 2013, Selby & Woollard proposed what is perhaps one of the most consensual definitions, based on the review of multiple previous proposals. As a result of this work, they conceive Computational Thinking as a set of processes including thinking in abstractions, algorithmic decomposition, evaluations and generalisations. Their work stands out, above all, for bringing together many perspectives and providing a very broad view of Computational Thinking.
National Science Foundation – 2014
Selby & Woollard’s work was enriched by successive works, such as the one developed by the National Science Foundation which, in 2014, proposed seven fundamental ideas that characterise Computational Thinking:
- Computational Thinking is a creative human activity.
- Abstraction (one of the constituent elements, if not the central one, of computational thinking) reduces/eliminates irrelevant information and details in order to focus on the relevant concepts when it comes to understanding and solving a problem.
- Data and information facilitate the creation of knowledge.
- Algorithms are tools for developing and expressing solutions to computational problems.
- Programming is a creative process that produces computational artifacts-objects.
- Digital devices and systems, and the networks that interconnect them, enable and foster a computational approach to problem solving.
- Computational Thinking enables innovation in other fields, including natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, arts, medicine, engineering, and business.
Computing at School and the Royal Society (2015 – 2017)
The British Government’s “Computing at School” initiative proposes an approach that emphasises thinking processes, rather than on the creation of code or its application to school robotics. This perspective shows how Computational Thinking can be included in environments which have a limited access to technology. In addition, it provides value with regards how it helps us solve everyday problems (Csizmadia, et al. 2015).
The Royal Society of London follows the same line and insists on defining Computational Thinking as “the thought processes involved in the formulation of problems and their solutions.” In fact, such is the importance of accompanying our students in the development of these skills that, with them, “they can model many phenomena, from climate change to the way our brains work and the working of cancer cells” (Royal Society, 2017, pg.14).
References:
Csizmadia, A., Curzon, P., Dorling, M., Humphreys, S., Ng, T., Selby, C., & Woollard, J. (2015). Computational thinking A guide for teachers (Computer At School, Ed.). Recuperado de http://computingatschool.org.uk/computationalthinking
ISTE, & CSTA. (2011). Operational definition of computational thinking. En Grant No. CNS- 1030054. Recuperado de https://id.iste.org/docs/ct-documents/computational-thinking- operational-definition-flyer.pdf
National Research Council. (2010). Report of a Workshop on The Scope and Nature of Computational Thinking. https://doi.org/10.17226/12840
National Research Council. (2011). Report of a Workshop of Pedagogical Aspects of Computational Thinking. https://doi.org/10.17226/13170.
Royal Society. (2017). After the reboot: computing education in UK schools. Londres.
Selby, C., & Woollard, J. (2013). Computational Thinking : The Developing Definition. ITiCSE Conference 2013, 5-8.
