Computer Science: Silent C in STEM
Yvonne Allsop · UCL Discovery (University College London) · 2017
Recent technological advances have influenced not only the way we communicate but also the way we think and learn. There has been a shift in the anatomy of thinking and learning from a ready static to an interactive-dynamic experience. We are now aware that in order to learn, the learner has to be at the centre of the learning experience and also have opportunities to learn the same material in different contextual settings. Therefore the traditional way of teaching subjects in isolation may not be seen as the best way of teaching and teachers may need to explore the opportunities for integrating learning into different subjects. STEM learning gives learners opportunities to investigate an idea in a different context and connect the learning across disciplines. It is often said that computer science is the silent “C” in STEM as it has very strong links with mathematics and science as well as design and technology; therefore it can be defined as a STEM discipline. In this chapter we discussed the relationship between STEM learning and Computer Science and provide some example projects that can be used for teaching both STEM and Computer Science skills.