Coding Race: Playing with Algorithms

Autor/inn/en	Rizk, Nadya; McKenzie, Matt; Samrout, Marya
Titel	Coding Race: Playing with Algorithms
Quelle	In: Teaching Science, 68 (2022) 2, S.24-31 (8 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1449-6313
Schlagwörter	Programming; Computer Science Education; Computation; Thinking Skills; Foreign Countries; Elementary School Students; Game Based Learning; Learning Activities; Australia + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Programmierung; Computer science lessons; Informatikunterricht; Denkfähigkeit; Ausland; Lernaktivität; Australien
Abstract	Coding is a process often associated with computers. Nevertheless, coding is a thought process that can be mastered even without a computer. In NSW, primary students are introduced to computational and algorithmic thinking as early as Stage 1. Yet, teaching coding to young students is not always easy for teachers, mostly because the process is often invisible and abstract. The activity described here offers one way to teach coding to primary students in a fun, interactive, and stimulating environment. More importantly, it incorporates a play-based approach to engage students with the concrete skills of coding and to expand their views about algorithms and codes. The concept of a 'Coding Race' was inspired by the show The Amazing Race: Australia. Accordingly, students compete in a race, and winners are awarded certificates and prizes. During the competition, students progress through eight stations where they are presented with coding challenges. Each challenge is an opportunity to further their understanding of the three pillars of coding: 'Code', 'Algorithm', and 'Output'. In each challenge, two of these pillars are given, and the students will need to work as a group to "develop" the missing pillar. In some stations, students will be using a Code to execute an Algorithm and develop an Output, while in other stations they will be working through a Code and an Output to develop the corresponding Algorithm. When completing these exercises, students will also learn the skills of 'Debugging', another term that is consistently used throughout this activity. The activity described here is a 90-minute lesson that consists of three parts: an introduction, a competition, and a concluding discussion session. It aims at helping primary students develop their computational thinking skills, furthering their literacy in coding, and developing their appreciation for the ubiquity of algorithmic thinking and its applicability to a wide spectrum of contexts. (As Provided).
Anmerkungen	Australian Science Teachers Association. P.O. Box 334, Deakin West, ACT 2600, Australia. Tel: +61-02-6282-9377; Fax: +61-02-6282-9477; e-mail: publications@asta.edu.au; Web site: https://www.asta.edu.au/resources/teaching-science-journal/
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01