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Teaching coding is currently gaining momentum in classrooms and informal learning spaces (coding fairs, labs, challenges, etc.) all over the world. In Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, a number of organizations offering coding courses for refugees (e.g. Refugees on Rails, HackYourFuture, CodeYourFuture) have been created as a reaction to th...
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Context 1
... the first course a short questionnaire was developed for the applicants. Based on the results, the decision was made that this research and the environment in which it was conducted called for a collaborative approach. Therefore an empirical technique called "action research" (AR) was used, which is described as "participative, cyclic research approach directed towards both research and action" (Lewin, 1946). It was found to be the appropriate method for this case because it addresses practical problems in a positive way by feeding results of the research directly back into practical application. This approach allows for the gaining of knowledge by means of directly experiencing innovation through developing strategies for achieving an improvement in a particular situation. This addresses the problem of division between theory and practice by integrating the development of practical application with research knowledge in a cyclical process (Somekh and Zeichner, 2009;Popplewell and Hayman, 2012;Rose et al., 2015). The model used in this research is outlined in Figure 2. During the planning phase, the relevant issues with the current situation were identified and ideas for improvement were developed. Interventions were discussed and planned in advance of the action phase. During the Draft -originally published in: Wolf, D. & Ebner, M. (2018). From Refugee to Programmer? An Action-Based Learning Approach for Teaching Coding to Refugees. In Proceedings of EdMedia: World Conference on Educational Media andTechnology (pp. 2042-2056). Amsterdam, Netherlands: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE) action phase, interventions were carried out. Efforts in the intervention were documented, and data was collected (observation notes, surveys, reflections, interviews, etc.) and ...
Context 2
... addresses the problem of division between theory and practice by integrating the development of practical application with research knowledge in a cyclical process (Somekh and Zeichner, 2009;Popplewell and Hayman, 2012;Rose et al., 2015). The model used in this research is outlined in Figure 2. During the planning phase, the relevant issues with the current situation were identified and ideas for improvement were developed. ...
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Citations
... Makerspaces as informal learning environments have a clear outlier characteristic as these settings often enable a very interdisciplinary context for people to work in and explore new ideas together. Lastly, on-the-job learning programs offer specifically practice-based and often interdisciplinary approaches to life-long learning in a business or institutional setting (Grandl et al., 2021;Sagbauer et al., 2022;Wolf & Ebner, 2018). ...
The leap from formal education to a modern work environment is often surprisingly difficult. Having young people struggle in these transitional periods while entrepreneurs and businesses strive to merge new team members is a worthy cause to investigate. The process of teacher education can not adequately cope with the intensity of technological and methodological progress. Based on expert-driven, participatory workshops in Austria, the effects and benefits of practitioner integration are evaluated. In multiple stages based on an action research methodology, the problem-solving approach of Computational Thinking (CT) was introduced to learners aged 16 to 18 (K-12) with the help of outside practitioners. This research project reveals the immense potential of expert integration in a secondary school classroom setting. The primary research question of "What consequences has practitioner integration on Computational Thinking education?" is answered. With the development of sustainable, interdisciplinary interfaces between teaching staff and industry experts a multitude of systemic problems in the educational system can be mitigated and the missing link to Computational Thinking education established. With all involved stakeholders and driven by the needs of young learners a robust and inclusive path to practitioner integrated Computational Thinking education is established.
... Makerspaces as informal learning environments have a clear outlier characteristic as these settings often enable a very interdisciplinary context for people to work in and explore new ideas together. Lastly, on-the-job learning programs offer specifically practice-based and often interdisciplinary approaches to life-long learning in a business or institutional setting (Grandl et al., 2021;Sagbauer et al., 2022;Wolf & Ebner, 2018). ...
This pilot study implemented an expert driven participatory workshop in a rural Austrian
economic school. An action research approach was utilised to introduce the problem solving
method named computational thinking (CT) to students aged 16 to 18 (K-12) in five after school
workshop sessions. This research revealed the basic benefits of industry expert integration in a
classroom setting with the aim to develop sustainable interdisciplinary interfaces that allow schools
and individual teachers to independently showcase possible pathways. Drawbacks of the methods
were identified, for example the high overhead efforts currently required without interfaces
between practitioners and educators in place or the demanding time requirements. To create a
strong, inclusive path to CT education for all young minds, these challenges need to be addressed
and ultimately overcome with the support of all involved stakeholders.
... Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) scholar Jeannette Wing proposes that, ultimately, CT "is becoming the new literacy of the 21st century" [3] (p. 4). Her ideas led to a flood of experiments and case studies exploring the ways and methods these important skills are currently taught, ranging from young kids [4] to adult lifelong learners [5]. Experiments are conducted inside formal school settings, as well as makerspaces and after school events, all around the world [6]. ...
After a lengthy debate within the scientific community about what constitutes the problem solving approach of computational thinking (CT), the focus shifted to enable the integration of CT within compulsory education. This publication strives to focus the discussion and enable future research in an educational setting with a strong focus on the Austrian circumstances and the goal to allow wide international adoption later on. Methodically, a literature review was conducted to gain knowledge about the current strands of research and a meta study to show the diversity of proposed and materialized studies. Three main questions were answered, establishing that CT as an idea is rooted in scientific literature dating back to the 1980s and grew in popularity after Wing introduced the concept to a broader audience. A number of authors contributed to the current state of the field, with the most cited review coming from Grover and Pea. The challenge to integrate CT in curricula around the world was met by many experiments and case studies but without a conclusive framework as of yet. Ultimately, this paper determines that expert integration is a blank spot in the literature and aims to create a strong, inclusive path to CT education by inviting practitioners.
