Introduction to Computational Thinking Education in K–12
Siu Cheung Kong, Harold H. Abelson, Wai-Ying Kwok · The MIT Press eBooks · 2022
Computing has been an essential element in national economies and societal institutions since the 1960s.As such, it has been a major component of technical education.But only in the past decade have innovations such as social networks, online news, and internet commerce made information technology omnipresent in daily life for much of the world's population.This has driven the call for K-12 school education, even at levels as early as primary school, to include computing as an essential topic in preparing students for a world that is being increasingly shaped by information technology.In the words of the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) in their 2017 K-12 computer science standards, "Computer science and the technologies it enables rest at the heart of our economy and the way we live our lives.To be well-educated citizens in a computingintensive world and to be prepared for careers in the 21st century, our students must have a clear understanding of the principles and practices of computer science."While these words, first written in 2011, highlight the principles of computer science for K-12, the emphasis in K-12 computing education continues to shift from computer science to a broader perspective of computational thinking (CT), which is viewed not so much as about technology but rather as a method of thought.As explained in a current handbook on educational technology, "CT is essentially a framework to