Robotics and Coding: A Framework for Examining Cognitive Demand
Anna Bloodworth, AnnaMarie Conner, Claire Miller, Lorraine Franco, T. L. Foutz, Roger B. Hill · Journal of Technology Education · 2023
Drawing on research in mathematics and science education that has supported student higher-level thinking in K-12 classrooms, we sought to classify the ways of thinking and reasoning supported by robotics coding tasks. As part of a larger project, we examined coding tasks implemented in elementary school classrooms and analyzed ways of thinking and reasoning about coding supported by these tasks. From this analysis, we developed a framework for analyzing the cognitive demand of coding tasks that can be used to support researchers, curriculum developers, and teachers in supporting students’ higher levels of thinking as they learn coding.