Computational Thinking for Teacher Education

ENTHUSIASM HAS GROWN in recent years for computer science education in many countries, including Australia, the U.S, and the U.K. 14,15 For example, in 2012, the Royal Society in the U.K. said, "Every child should have the opportunity to learn concepts and principles from computing, including computer science and information technology, from the beginning of primary education onward, and by age 14 should be able to choose to study toward a recognized qualification in these areas." 26 And in 2016, the College Board in the U.S. launched a new computer science curriculum for high schools called "Computer Science Principles" 6 focusing on exposing students to computational thinking and practices to help them understand how computing influences the world. Within the computer science education community, computational thinking is a familiar term, but among K-12 teachers, administrators, and teacher educators there is confusion about what it entails. Computational thinking is often mistakenly equated with using computer technology. 11,29 In order to address this misrepresentation, the scope of this article includes a definition of computational thinking and the core constructs that would make it relevant for key stakeholders from K-12 education and teacher-training programs.