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ERIC Number: EJ1182987
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018-Jul
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1360-2357
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Enhancing Future K-8 Teachers' Computational Thinking Skills through Modeling and Simulations
Adler, Rachel F.; Kim, Hanna
Education and Information Technologies, v23 n4 p1501-1514 Jul 2018
It is now required for teachers to incorporate computational thinking (CT) into their science classes. Our research modifies the existing structure of a science methods course for preservice teachers to include CT via modeling and simulations. In the first study, preservice teachers were introduced to the basics of coding through an Hour of Code tutorial, followed by an exercise where they programmed an animated model of the solar system using Scratch. In the second study, we created a web-based simulation to visualize Newton's second law of motion (F = ma) with a dynamic graph feature. The simulation is a race between two cars with interactive settings that the user can change, such as changing the mass and force of each car. Results from both studies reveal that after completing the exercises, preservice teachers learned the material effectively, felt that CT exercises would be beneficial in K-8 education, and plan to incorporate CT into their future classrooms.
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-348-4505; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link-springer-com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research; Tests/Questionnaires
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Science Foundation (NSF)
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: DRL1640041
Author Affiliations: N/A