Transforming teaching and learning: Changing the pedagogical approach to using educational programming languages

Summarization: Within the context of a European project exploring the development of programming skills in secondary education by means of modern educational programming languages, this paper proposes certain pedagogical methods, approaches and frameworks for enhancing the development of programming skills, and thereby increasing the number of students studying computer science both at school and university level. In particular, the aim of this paper is to explore the issues surrounding curriculum design for computer courses with a special focus on programming. It has been argued that the utilisation of learning activities that demonstrate specific pedagogic approaches (inquiry-based learning, collaborative learning, cognitive constructivism or activity based) is limited suggesting that teachers are not fully aware of how to apply different pedagogical considerations to their actual practice. This is more apparent in programming courses because of the increased level of abstraction which may cause certain difficulties in teaching and learning. The creation of curricula based on pedagogically-rich teaching and learning activities, and the introduction of Educational Programming Languages (EPLs) designed for teachers to teach students how to develop computer programs, may generate powerful learning opportunities. The main purpose of this paper is to outline the theoretical underpinning of teaching and learning EPLs, and to argue that, to be comprehensive, curriculum design for programming courses must consider important perspectives, each of which leads to specific ways of teaching programming. The paper starts by surveying the current state of computer science curriculum in the participating countries in the context of curriculum design, before looking at learning theories and EPLs that may be used to support informed decisions for pedagogically-driven programming course design. Each decision requires different approaches to teaching programming which are necessary for aligning theory and practice within a viable educational model. The paper concludes by proposing that information and communication technology (ICT) tools may provide a framework to design and structure teaching and learning activities for programming courses.Παρουσιάστηκε στο: hort paper presented at the ALT-C conference, Nottingham, UK, 7-9 Septemb