This study identified appropriate pedagogy for computational thinking in K-12 computer education. The Delphi technique was employed to collect different views, ideas and opinions derived a consensus from a panel of 12 international experts through a series of questionnaires. The experts have various experiences in computer science, computer…

Background: In recent years, computer science education has emerged as a necessary part of school curricula for students of all ages. With such momentum in this direction, it is essential that program designers, educators, and researchers ensure that computer science education is designed to be inclusive, effective, and engaging for all students.…

Informed by the person-object theory of interest, this study deployed a mixed-method concurrent triangulation design and investigated the impact of major/specialization, gender, and module design on preservice teachers' interest in teaching computational thinking. The study was conducted in a flipped computational thinking module hosted in three…

This literature review synthesized current research on preservice and in-service programs that improve K-6 teachers' attitudes, self-efficacy, or knowledge to teach computing, coding, or computational thinking. A review of current computing training for elementary teachers revealed 21 studies: 12 involving preservice teachers and nine involving…

Sprego is programming with spreadsheet functions. The present paper provides introductory Sprego examples which have so far only been available in Hungarian. Spreadsheet environments offer both a programming tool which best serves beginner and end-user programmers' interest, and an approach which lightens the burden of coding and language details.…

School accountability decisions based on standardized tests hinge on the degree of alignment of the test with the state's standards documents. Yet, there exist no established criteria for judging strength of alignment. Previous measures of alignment among tests, standards, and teachers' instruction have yielded mixed results that are difficult to…

Two studies were conducted to examine the use of grounded embodied pedagogy, construction of Imaginary Worlds (Study 1), and context of instructional materials (Study 2) for developing learners' Computational Thinking (CT) Skills and Concept knowledge during the construction of digital artifacts using Scratch, a block-based programming…

The use of value-added modeling (VAM) in school accountability is expanding, but deciding how to embrace VAM is difficult. Various experts say it's too unreliable, causes more harm than good, and has a big margin for error. Others assert VAM is imperfect but useful, and provides valuable feedback. A closer look at the models, and their use,…

Mental arithmetic problems were presented in one of five modes to 14 fifth-grade classrooms. Results showed no significant gains in ability to use mental arithmetic or in performance on a standardized arithmetic achievement test, but gains on a problem-solving retention test and in positive attitudes. (DT)

Addition strategies used by 36 kindergarten children were examined. Children were given written stimuli (such as "2+5" and "3+7") during two sessions taking place a week apart. Results indicated that once children came to rely on mental addition strategies, they often quickly invented more economical procedures to compute sums. Also confirmed was…

A study of activities in mental computation and in paper and pencil enrichment activities for sixth graders showed that both treatments produced increases in achievement test scores. Examples of both types of activities used are included. (DT)

The calculation of the upper and lower quartile values of a data set in an elementary statistics course is done in at least a dozen different ways, depending on the text or computer/calculator package being used (such as SAS, JMP, MINITAB, "Excel," and the TI-83 Plus). In this paper, we examine the various methods and offer a suggestion for a new…

Games for use in practicing rounding numbers and mental computation using tens and hundreds are described. The importance of estimation to computation is discussed. (SD)

The technique of distance sampling is widely used to monitor biological populations. This paper documents an in-class activity to introduce students to the concepts and the mechanics of distance sampling in a simple situation that is relevant to their own experiences. Preparation details are described. Variations and extensions to the activity are…

Support of the need for more emphasis on mental arithmetic in the classroom is given. Classroom methods and activities for developing skill in mental arithmetic are included. (MN)