What is Computational Thinking?

Computational thinking is the ability to recognize patterns and deconstruct for the purpose of problem-solving or finding a strategy. The same way a computer breaks everything down into algorithms, computational thinking requires the person to break things down into steps. This type of thinking is a great tool for abstracting important information. It allows the student to sift through the information and pull out only what is important. This type of thinking is used in day to day life when we make a to do list, as we are breaking our day or week down into easier, more manageable steps. Computational thinking is also involved in any type of strategy making. It helps us to find the best and quickest way to a specific result. Computational thinking is used constantly to make our actions more efficient and our lives easier. Computational thinking is an essential life school in and out of the classroom. 

How Does it Fit into the BC Curriculum?

Computational thinking is crucial in every subject of school. For example, it is used in math to develop strong number sense. In math, we no longer want to teach kids mindless steps or how to plug numbers into an equation. Nowadays we are trying to teach students the meaning of their procedures, we want students to understand what it means when they are adding or any other mathematical procedure, not just how to reach the answer. This is where computational thinking comes in by having students break it down and look at what is really happening. Also in math, there are often many ways to get to one answer. Computational thinking allows the student to evaluate these strategies and pick the most efficient one for them. In science one of the big ideas is that living things are diverse but can be grouped, this is where computational thinking comes in. Students are able to recognize patterns in certain species to be able to group together. In English language arts at any grade, students often start with an all about me unit. This unit is to help them look at all the special little parts that come together to make them who they are. Students are asked to look at themselves and deconstruct to best of their ability the parts that make them unique.  

How does it fit into every day life?

Nowadays people’s lives are filled with a million and one things. Our hobbies, our sports, our careers, our education, our family, our friends, our health, and lots of other things to work on. Computational thinking helps us make the most of our time by abstracting the important stuff, decomposing daunting tasks into smaller ones, and finding the most practical strategy Students will be able to use computational in their future careers. Any type of builder or mechanic requires computational thinking to break their job down into steps. Any type of manufacturer or inventor needs to be able to break their product down into pieces and understand how it works. Any job that requires communication could be improved by strong computational skills. The key to efficient and persuasive communication is being able to abstract and relay only the important information. Overall, strong computational skills make people more efficient, which is beneficial in any career. It is all about being able to break things down to find the fastest, most efficient way to get the desired result. Making the most of our time is crucial in the 21st century to avoid burning out.