ABSTRACT
This paper discusses the application of constructivist pedagogical approaches to teaching computer programming in high school and undergraduate courses. It provides an overview of constructivist pedagogy and contrasts it with traditional objectivist pedagogy. The paper then describes how a variety of sources on constructivist educational practice from computer science educational literature can be combined to transform under-graduate courses in computer programming and information technology. The resulting courses are accessible to a wider range of students and incorporate active learning, collaborative group-based instruction, and cognitive apprenticeships. This pedagogical style focuses on the higher cognitive levels of Bloom's taxonomy and addresses multiple student learning styles and intelligences. Course design, classroom activities, and assessment methods using this pedagogical approach for computer programming instruction will be covered in detail. The presentation relies heavily on the experiences of the presenter in adopting this style of instruction within undergraduate computer programming courses and will include a discussion of the some of the attitudinal issues they encountered in this process. The presentation will include coverage of resources for constructivist teaching of computer science and technology and some recommendations for instructors who may wish to adopt this style of instruction.
- Astrachan, Owen (1998) "Concrete Teaching: Hooks and Props as Instructional Technology" ACM SIGCSE Bulletin, Proceedings of the 6th annual conference on the teaching of computing and the 3rd annual conference on Integrating technology into computer science education: Volume 30 Issue 3 Google ScholarDigital Library
- Astrachan, O., Reed, David, (1995) "AAA and CS 1: The Applied Apprenticeship Approach to CS 1" ACM SIGCSE Bulletin , Proceedings of the twenty-sixth SIGCSE technical symposium on Computer science education, Volume 27 Issue 1 Google ScholarDigital Library
- Astrachan, O., Smith, R., Wilkes, J. "Application-based Modules: Using Apprentice Learning for CS 2"Google Scholar
- Ben-Ari, M. (1998). "Constructivism in computer science education". The Proceedings of the Twenty-ninth SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education (pp. 257--261). Google ScholarDigital Library
- Bloom, B. S., Mesia, B. B., and Krathwohl, D. R. "Taxonomy of Educational Objectives" (two vols: The Affective Domain & The Cognitive Domain). New York. David McKay, 1964.Google Scholar
- Bonwell, C.C. (1996). Enhancing the lecture: Revitalizing a traditional format. In T.E. Sutherland & C.C. Bonwell (Eds.), Using active learning in college class: A range of options for faculty. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.Google Scholar
- Bonwell, C.C., & Eison, J.A. (1991). Active learning: Creating excitement in the classroom. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No. 1. Washington, DC: The George Washington University, 1991.Google Scholar
- Cassell, Lillian private discussion SIGITE 2004 ConferenceGoogle Scholar
- Felder, Richard M., Brent, Rebecca "Learning by Doing" Chemical Engineering Education, 37(4), 282--283 (2003).Google Scholar
- Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of Mind: The theory of multiple intelligences. New York: Basic Books. 1985.Google Scholar
- http://www.learning-styles-online.com/overview. Accessed March 15, 2005.Google Scholar
- Lohr, L., (2003) "Creating Graphics for Learning and Performance: Lessons in Visual Literacy", Merrill Prentice Hall. Google ScholarDigital Library
- McDougall, Anne, Boyle, Martin "Student Strategies for Learning Computer Programming: Implications for Pedagogy in Informatics" Education and Information Technologies 9:2, 109--116, 2004 Google ScholarDigital Library
- Van Gorp, Mark, Grisson, Scott, An Empirical Evaluation of Using Constructive Classroom Activities to Teach Introductory Programming" Computer Science Education 2001, Vol. 11, No. 3, pp. 247--260.Google Scholar
Index Terms
- Constructivist approaches for teaching computer programming
Recommendations
Code4Brownies: an active learning solution for teaching programming and problem solving in the classroom
ITiCSE 2018: Proceedings of the 23rd Annual ACM Conference on Innovation and Technology in Computer Science EducationCode4Brownies is a software solution designed to foster active learning, coding, and problem solving in the classroom. Through this active learning style and platform, teachers can instantly provide guided instruction that gradually assists and leads ...
Pair Teaching in Action
ACE '19: Proceedings of the Twenty-First Australasian Computing Education ConferenceWe share our procedure, resources, and experiences in using pair teaching to deliver a first-year introductory web development course. We will describe how having two lecturers in the lecture theatre can provide more opportunities for live examples, ...
Comments