Computational Thinking - A Practical Guide to Teaching Computing and ICT in the Secondary School - page 96

Other areas using Computational Thinking include: medicine; archaeology;
economics; finance; journalism; law; social science; and humanities. Data analytics
(a specialised application of Computational Thinking) is used in: training Army
recruits; spam and credit card fraud detection; recommendation and reputation
services; and personalising coupons at supermarket checkouts. In many higher
educational institutions, Computational Thinking is taught in: applied mathematics,
biology, chemistry, design, economics, finance, linguistics, mechanics, neuroscience,
physics, statistical learning; and in computational photography. Areas of
entertainment, such as animation and gaming, rely heavily on Computational
Thinking. Performance in sport is heavily influenced by systems that collect real-
time data, use algorithms to recognise patterns and make abstractions to suggest
improvements. Economists use Computational Thinking to examine trends and
hypotheses about future performance; for example, of the Stock Exchange.
Task 5.3
Research uses of Computational Thinking
Research three areas suggested above where Computational Thinking is used.
Consider how you can make them relevant and accessible to your pupils.
It supports learning
Computational Thinking encourages problem-solving and abstract thinking. Using
abstraction to think at different levels, to manage complexity and to cope with
scale, brings a range of skills that are transferable and can support learning across
the curriculum and beyond.
It can encourage creativity
Computational Thinking does not have to be constrained by reality and what is
currently possible. It allows us to use 'virtual reality' to propose, hypothesise, test
and evaluate anything, from producing a stage play to travelling to Mars.
Computational Thinking allows us to be expansive, to take risks, to explore
different solutions and to propose new and/or original outcomes.
As illustrated above, Computational Thinking is applied in many different kinds
of work and research. It can encourage creativity. It can give pupils transferable
skills and may lead directly to jobs. Some even claim that if we equip all our pupils
with this capacity it may impact positively on the whole economy. Additionally, it
has an intrinsic value as an intellectual discipline.
WHAT ARE THE KEY CONCEPTS OF COMPUTATIONAL THINKING?
In teaching about Computational Thinking there are a number of key ideas and
concepts we need to help pupils understand. These include 'four elements':
decomposition; pattern recognition; pattern generalisation; and abstraction. Other
writers (Tiensuu, 2012; Hu, 2011) refer to more, but in the secondary school context
these are essential. In considering the 'four elements' of Computational Thinking it
is important to avoid compartmentalisation. You need to make your pupils aware
that, more often than not, the approach to problem-solving, using Computational
Thinking, will be holistic. There is no defined sequence in which the four elements