[论文解读] Introduction to Computational Thinking: a new high school curriculum using CodeWorld

Fernando Alegre, John Underwoood+2 more|arXiv (Cornell University)|Nov 30, 2019

Teaching and Learning Programming被引用 4

一句话总结

本文提出了一套高中计算思维课程——《计算思维导论》（Introduction to Computational Thinking, ICT），采用CodeWorld环境，通过基于Haskell的语言教授编程与数学推理。该课程面向九年级学生设计，强调概念基础而非语法细节，尽管被学生认为具有挑战性，但仍实现了内容知识平均24%的提升，并获得积极的学生态度。

ABSTRACT

The Louisiana Department of Education partnered with the Gordon A. Cain Center at LSU to pilot a Computing High School Graduation Pathway. The first course in the pathway, Introduction to Computational Thinking (ICT), is designed to teach programming and reinforce mathematical practice skills of nine-grade students, with an emphasis on promoting higher order thinking. In 2017-18, about 200 students and five teachers participated in the pilot, in 2018-2019 the participation increased to 400 students, and in the current 2019-2020 year about 800 students in 11 schools are involved. Professional development starts with a five-week intensive summer institute, which is complemented with follow-up Saturday sessions and coaching support during the academic year. After describing the course content and briefly the teacher training, we discuss the data we have collected in the last two years. The overall student reception of the course has been positive, but the course was categorized by most students as hard. However, the Computing Attitude Survey analysis indicates that the difficulty of the course did not demotivate the students. The pre-post test content assessments show that students learned not only the language, but also general principles of programming, logic and modeling, as well as use of variables, expressions and functions. Lessons learned during the pilot phase motivated changes, such as emphasizing during PD the need to provide timely feedback to students, provide detailed rubrics for the projects and reorganize the lessons to increase the initial engagement with the material. After two years of running pilots, the course is becoming student-centered, where most of the code and image samples provided in the lessons are based on code created by previous students.

研究动机与目标

• 开发一门计算思维课程，将编程与代数、几何及科学建模相联系，面向普通高中生。
• 创建教师培训模式，使非计算机学科教师（如数学和科学教师）能够有效实施该课程。
• 设计以学生为中心、以编程为重点的课程，促进弱势群体学生的高阶思维与概念理解。
• 在多个学区的大规模试点中，评估学生的学习成效与态度变化。

提出的方法

• 课程使用CodeWorld，一个基于简化版Haskell的基于网络的IDE，通过可视化与数学建模教授编程概念。
• 课程围绕计算思维原则设计，仅在需要时引入语法，初期重点放在表达式、变量和函数上。
• 教师专业发展包括为期五周的暑期培训，教师通过完成学生作业、练习同伴反馈和设计教案来学习。
• 课程通过结对编程与协作场景创作，强调抽象、分解与迭代开发。
• 评估包括《编程概念基础测试》（前测与后测）和《计算态度调查》（CAS），用以衡量学习成效与态度变化。
• 数据分析使用Wilcoxon符号秩检验比较前测与后测，并通过相关性分析关联态度与学习成效。

实验结果

研究问题

• RQ1 ICT课程在多大程度上提升了学生对编程、逻辑与建模概念的理解？
• RQ2 在完成课程后，学生对计算的态度如何变化，尤其是在课程被认为具有挑战性的背景下？
• RQ3 教师专业发展对教学质量和学生学习成果有何影响？
• RQ4 计算思维学习成效与学生对计算的态度之间是否存在相关性？

主要发现

• 学生在《编程概念基础测试》上的平均得分显著提高24%，后测得分从29.5%上升至53.8%。
• Wilcoxon符号秩检验确认前测与后测分布存在显著差异（p < 2.2 × 10^(-16)）。
• 所有四个测试类别——变量、表达式与函数、CodeWorld特定内容、数学建模——的后测平均分均高于前测。
• 《计算态度调查》显示学生态度变化极小（变化值为0.02），且前测与后测相关性较强（R = 0.54，p = 1.3 × 10^(-10)）。
• 学生课程后的态度与内容测试学习成效之间存在正相关（R = 0.29，p = 0.001）。
• 尽管学生普遍认为课程难度高，但并未导致学习动力下降，大多数学生报告了积极的学习体验。