Big data. Artificial intelligence. Cloud computing. You’re hearing the buzz and working daily to prepare students for these technology-driven careers. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics projects for data analysts before 2033, well above the 7.7% job growth rate for all careers. Looks like big data means big opportunities.
Preparing students for high-tech careers means building a solid skills foundation. Your students need to understand how to analyze data, recognize patterns, and apply solutions. In short, they need computational thinking skills.
Tracey Sigers and Damiano Mastandrea, two veteran IT educators, discussed the importance of computational thinking on the CERTIFIED Podcast. Read on for their teaching tools and ideas for your next computational thinking lesson.
Tactical (and practical!) teaching tools
Ninety-two percent of jobs require digital skills, according to the . So whether your students plan to pursue careers in tech or not, they need skills that allow them to leverage and interact effectively with technology. But how should you teach those skills? Damiano and Tracey encourage integrating computational thinking into your curriculum through a variety of tools and strategies.
Here are a few of their favorite approaches and resources:
- Project-based learning: You’ve heard it before: “When will I ever use this?” Your students want to know that what they’re learning is useful in the real world. Give them the full picture by engaging them in real projects and challenges that use logic, problem-solving, and creativity. Case studies from current events and real companies are a great way to brainstorm and get started.
- Collaborative whiteboards: This is for all your visual learners. Computational thinking and data organization is a great visual exercise. Help students brainstorm, draw out the process, and organize their approach. Damiano has his students create flow charts for complex processes.
- Coding games: Gamification is popular for a reason. Learning complex concepts is easier when it’s fun. Tracey loves using Python coding games like IBM’s Skill Build and Study Island to build foundational skills and confidence.
- Milestone presentations: Just like the weekly team meetings they’ll join in the workplace, your students need regular check-ins. Milestone presentations help you see gaps before they fall behind. It also gives students a chance to share successes, teach each other, and ask for assistance from their peers. Not to mention the added benefit of building communication skills.
- Certification: Not sure where to start or what areas to focus on? Our IT Specialist Computational Thinking certification and curriculum can guide you. By the time they’re finished with the curriculum, they’ll be ready to deconstruct problems, collect and analyze data, recognize patterns in data, represent data through abstractions, and automate solutions by using algorithmic thinking. Not bad for a lesson plan you didn’t have to build yourself.
Ready to compute?
By focusing on computational thinking skills, you can empower students to navigate the complexities of the modern, technology-focused world. By embracing computational thinking, you can help your students connect with data and prepare for their future IT careers.
Interested in exploring more computational thinking resources? Listen to Damiano and Tracey’s CERTIFIED Podcast episode .