In recent years, the emphasis on computational thinking (CT) has intensified as an effect of accelerated digitalisation. While most researchers are concentrating on defining CT and developing tools for its instruction and assessment, we focus on the characteristics of computational thinking problems (CTPs) -- activities requiring CT to be…

The background of the argument Joris Vlieghe develops in this article is the idea, proposed by neopragmatic scholars, that a way of aptly dealing with the societal issues that have come about in the wake of a global ecological crisis consists of engaging in practices of study. This involves "thinking," a concept that needs to be…

The development of a vaccine marks a breakthrough in the fight against infectious diseases. However, to eradicate highly infectious diseases globally, the immunization of large parts of the population is needed. Otherwise, diseases, such as polio, measles, or more recently COVID-19, will repeatedly flare-up, with devastating effects on individuals…

The purpose of this study is to look at how a music programming course affects the development of computational thinking in undergraduate music conservatory students. In addition to teaching the fundamentals of computational thinking, music programming, and logic, the course addresses the Four C's of education. The change in students' attitudes…

Increasing mental health issues, such as emotional problems, pose a threat for the academic performance of undergraduate students. We propose a route connecting emotional problems and academic performance through executive functioning skills (EFS). Despite the abundance of research on the topic of EFS, there is a significant gap in understanding…

In learning to program and understanding how a programming language controls a computer, learners develop both insights and misconceptions whilst their mental models are gradually refined. It is important that the learner is able to distinguish the different elements and roles of a computer (compiler, interpreter, memory, etc.), which novice…

In the literature in recent years, a number of developmental studies have demonstrated the importance of children entering the school environment with a solid foundation of mathematical content knowledge and argued that problem solving, as an important mathematical process, should be acknowledged in early childhood mathematical education. However,…

This essay extends beyond the characteristics and discourse of word problems to, more generally, school mathematical problem-solving and the implications entailed by a predominant paper-and-pencil mode of learning and instruction since the modern era of education. Contrasting what I call "one-handed" (with paper-and-pencil) with…

In light of current developments, there is an increasing effort to integrate computing-oriented activities into the education of children as young as two years old. Although the computing strand is not officially addressed in the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework (DfES, 2024), a small number of early years teachers in England…

Even though there is a great temptation as teachers to share what is known, many are aware of an idea called "rules that expire" (RTE) and have realized the importance of avoiding them. There is evidence that students need to understand mathematical concepts and that merely presenting rules to carry out in a procedural and disconnected…

In this edition of Assessment News, Charles Darr uses a case study from the National Monitoring Study of Student Achievement (NMSSA) to highlight how students can benefit from activating deliberate thinking in assessments. The key message underscores the value of using assessment information to generate insights that inform better teaching and…

This article draws from Hiroko Kawaguchi Warshauer's conceptualisation of productive struggle, which capitalises on experiences that elicit struggle, that is, those that require students to 'expend intellectual effort' and that are productive, in the sense that they seek to 'advance thinking and deepen' understanding of mathematical concepts and…

John Dewey is well-known for claiming that school education is all about developing the ability to think. There is nothing else for schools to do so far as students' minds are concerned. Thinking is not only the aim of education for Dewey, however, but the means of achieving it. This is not because it is the method to be preferred. Rather, as…

Ensuring trainees develop the flexibility with their knowledge to address novel problems, and to efficiently build upon prior knowledge to learn new knowledge is a common goal in health profession education. How trainees come to develop this capacity to transfer and transform knowledge across contexts can be described by adaptive expertise, which…

This study posits mathematics as a fundamental methodological framework for navigating the complexities of multidisciplinary research. It argues that the increasing prevalence of real-world problems demands the integration of knowledge from diverse scientific fields, where mathematics, particularly through the method of analysis and synthesis,…