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A Constructionist Approach to Computer Science

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Federici, S. & Stern, L. (2011). A Constructionist Approach to Computer Science. In S. Barton et al. (Eds.), Proceedings of Global Learn 2011 (pp. 1352-1361). AACE.
Retrieved from http://www.editlib.org/p/37342.

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Conference Information

Global Learn (Global Learn) 2011
Melbourne, Australia
March 28, 2011
ISBN 1-880094-85-1
  Siew-Mee Barton, John Hedberg & Katsuaki Suzuki
AACE

More Information on Global Learn
Table of Contents

Authors

Stefano Federici, University of Cagliari, Italy; Linda Stern, The University of Melbourne, Australia

Abstract

The use of traditional introductory approaches to computer science needs to be re-evaluated in light of an increasingly technology-savvy cohort of students. New and powerful environments, such as Scratch from MIT and its descendents, provide an excellent base to develop novel approaches to learning computer programming based on constructionist learning theories. In this paper we describe a constructionist approach to introductory computer science that leverages on these new environments, motivating students to learn computer programming without the cognitive overhead usually associated with learning programming and computation. We then describe new tools we have developed that facilitate the extension of the constructionist approach to learning more complex concepts in computer science, bringing students to a deeper understanding of computer science concepts.

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