Developing Teachers' Computational Thinking Beliefs and Engineering Practices Through Game Design and Robotics

Publications

This research report presents the final year results of a three-year research project on computational thinking (CT). The project, funded by the National Science Foundation, involved training teachers in grades four through six to implement Scalable Game Design and LEGO® EV3 robotics during afterschool clubs. Thirty teachers and 531 students took part in the Year-3 study that blended game design and robotics. Eight of these teachers and 98 students participated in a large urban city in Pennsylvania, while the remaining 22 teachers and 433 students participated in rural Wyoming. This paper

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Green Ninja Curricular Materials

Curricular Materials
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Green Ninja is a San Jose State educational initiative that develops engaging middle school science curriculum using research-based approaches. Adventures of the Green Ninja – a superhero – are told in a youth-oriented and humorous way, but grounded in science and data. Green Ninja videos are popular on YouTube with a current viewership of over 2 million. Green Ninja curriculum is designed from the ground up using the Next Generation Science Standards, and teacher professional development videos and workshops aim to support teachers with content knowledge and teaching practice. Members of the

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Using Robotics and Game Design to Enhance Children’s Self-Efficacy, STEM Attitudes, and Computational Thinking Skills

Publications

This paper describes the findings of a pilot study that used robotics and game design to develop middle school students’ computational thinking strategies. One hundred and twenty-four students engaged in LEGO® EV3 robotics and created games using Scalable Game Design software. The results of the study revealed students’ pre–post self-efficacy scores on the construct of computer use declined significantly, while the constructs of videogaming and computer gaming remained unchanged. When these constructs were analyzed by type of learning environment, self-efficacy on videogaming increased

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