Computational Thinking with Cubelets
What’s the best way to reason through complex problems? How can we be better prepared for the technology we’ll be using to solve our biggest challenges? Computational thinking!
Computational thinking is a problem-solving framework that turns complex, many-layered problems into solutions a computer could execute. Cubelets help transform the abstract concepts of computational thinking into easy-to-practice skills, making it simple to integrate into your classroom.
Problem Decomposition
When looking at a big, complex problem, it can be hard to figure out where to start untangling the issues. That’s why computational thinking is so important. The first step, decomposition, is when we zoom in to notice the smaller, more manageable parts within the problem.
Pattern Recognition
Finding patterns in the small parts of a problem can reveal how it all fits together. It allows us to zoom out from the details, and determine what those parts have in common. Grouping pieces by similarities helps us create better hypotheses about how a system works.
Abstraction
Abstracting is something our brains do naturally when we notice patterns or choose to focus only on one part of the system. Think of abstracting as filtering the world around us so we can pay better attention to the most important or useful information.
Algorithmic Solutions
One last step in computational thinking involves solving our problem in a logical, repeatable, step-by-step manner. This solution is called an algorithm, and it’s a set of instructions that will help a person — or a program — arrive at the correct answer.
