Incorporating 'Computational Thinking' into the Grade-school Classroom (15w2187)

The Banff International Research Station will host the "Incorporating "Computational Thinking" into the Grade-school Classroom." workshop from January 16th to January 18th, 2015.

Jeanette Wing, MIT, calls “computational thinking” the fourth "R" in learning. Even basic matters, such as striking the right balance between conceptual exercises like playing a sorting game and actually writing computer programs are still not settled. Doing some coding is essential, says Michael Kölling, a specialist in computing education at the University of Kent: it motivates pupils and means they find out whether their algorithms work. But should pupils start with programming and leave principles till later, or the other way round?

This workshop is intended for educators at all levels to engage in rich tasks, have deep discussions, and begin to collaborate on a framework for connecting within their current instruction and assessment skills being identified as “computational thinking.”

The Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS) is a collaborative Canada-US-Mexico venture that provides an environment for creative interaction as well as the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and methods within the Mathematical Sciences, with related disciplines and with industry. The research station is located at The Banff Centre in Alberta and is supported by Canada's Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), Alberta's Advanced Education and Technology, and Mexico's Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT).