Project-based learning in computer science laboratory for education. A longitudinal study

Authors

  • Sergio Miranda

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7346/sird-022021-p131

Keywords:

learning, computational thinking, creative programming, project-based learning

Abstract

Teaching computer science in a humanities degree course is not a simple action, not because of the complexity of the subject itself, but because of the natural reluctance of students towards an apparently difficult discipline and in any case different from the others in their study plan. This paper describes an experience conducted at the University of Salerno with the aim of stimulating the students of the degree course in “Educational Sciences” to participate in the activities of the “Computer science laboratory for education” organized according to a project-based approach which leaves participants a wider margin of autonomy and which gives more space to their creativity. The results obtained are particularly encouraging and offer suggestions on methodologies to be used to increase involvement of students and stimulate them to develop their computational thinking.

References

Ausubel, D. (1963). The Psychology of Meaningful Verbal Learning, Grune & Stratton, New York

Bellettini, C., Violetta, L., Malchiodi, D., Monga, M., & Morpurgo, A. (2018). Informatica e pensiero computa-

zionale: una proposta costruttivista per gli insegnanti. Proc. of Didamatica 2018.

Brennan, K., & Resnick, M. (2013). Imagining, creating, playing, sharing, reflecting: How online community sup-

ports young people as designers of interactive media. In Emerging technologies for the classroom (pp. 253-268).

New York: Springer.

Bruner, J. S. (1966). Toward a Theory of Instruction (Trad. it. Verso una teoria dell’istruzione, Armando, Roma, 1982). Bruner, J. S. (1978). Dopo Dewey. Il processo di apprendimento nelle due culture. Roma: Armando (Trad. it. di A. Ar-

mando, The process of education, Harvard University Press Cambridge). Bruner, J. S. (2005). Il conoscere. Saggi per la mano sinistra. Roma: Armando.

Chevallard, Y. (1985). La transposition didactique. Du savoir savant au savoir enseigné. Grenoble: La Pensée Sauvage. Cronbach, L. J. (1950). Further evidence on response sets and test design. Educational and Psychological Measurement,

, 3-31.

Cuny, J., Snyder, L., & Wing, J. M. (2010). Demystifying computational thinking for non-computer scientists.

https://www.cs.cmu.edu/link/research-notebook-computational-thinkingwhat-and-why.

David, J.L. (2008). What Research Says About/Project-Based Learning. Educational Leadership Teaching Students

to Think, 65, 5, 80-82.

De Bartolomeis, F. (1978). Il sistema dei laboratori. Milano: Feltrinelli.

Fabbri, L. (2007). Comunità di pratiche e apprendimento riflessivo. Per una formazione situata. Roma: Carocci. Freire, Paul (1970) La pedagogia degli oppressi. Versione Italiana Mondadori ed. 1971.

Gabbari, M., Gagliardi, R., Gaetano, A., & Sacchi, D. (2020). Integrare “Coding e Pensiero computazionale” nella

didattica. Azioni, Tecnologie e competenze: esperienze in presenza e a distanza OPPInformazioni, 128, 86-100. Gardner, H. (1983). Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences (Versione Italiana: Formae mentis. Saggio

sulla pluralità dell’intelligenza, Feltrinelli, Milano, 1987).

García-Peñalvo, F. J., Reimann, D., & Maday, C. (2018). Introducing Coding and Computational Thinking in

the Schools: The TACCLE 3 – Coding Project Experience. In M. S. Khine (Ed.), Computational Thinking in

the STEM Disciplines. Foundations and Research Highlights (pp. 213-226). Cham, Switzerland: Springer. Guilford, J. P. (1950). Creativity. The American Psychologist, 5(9), 444-454.

Guilford, J. P. (1970). Creativity: retrospect and prospect. Journal of Creative Behaviour, 4(2), 149-169.

Johnson, David, W., Johnson, Roger, T. Johnson, Holubec, Edythe (1996). Apprendimento cooperativo in classe: mi-

gliorare il clima emotivo e il rendimento (Trad., Lucio Marinelli, Guide per l’educazione, Erickson, Trento). Jonassen, D., & Strobel, J. (2006). Modeling for meaningful learning. In Engaged learning with emerging technologies

(pp. 1-27). Dordrecht: Springer.

Ke, F. (2014). An implementation of design-based learning through creating educational computer games: A case

study on mathematics learning during design and computing. Computers & Education, 73, 26-39.

Kilpatrick, W. H. (1918). The project method. Teachers College Record, 19, 319-335.

Kilpatrick, W. H. (1936). Foundations of Method. Informal Talks on Teaching. New York: Macmillan.

Knuth, Donald, E. (1974). Computer Science and its relation to Mathematics. The American Mathematical Monthly,

, 4, 323-343, April 1974.

Knuth, Donald, E. (2014). Art of Computer Programming, Volume 2: Seminumerical Algorithms. Addison-Wesley

Professional.

Margiotta, U. (2014). Insegnare, oggi, all’Università. Un master per la didattica universitaria. Formazione & Inse-

gnamento, XII, 1, 89-105.

Markham, T., Larmer, J., & Ravitz, J. (2003). Project based learning handbook: A guide to standards-focused project

based learning for middle and high school teachers. Novato, CA: Buck Institute for Education.

Markham, T. (2011). Apprendimento basato su progetti. Bibliotecario insegnante, 39(2), 38-42. Enciclopedia. Marzano, A., Vegliante, R., Miranda, S., & Formisano, M.A. (2017). La didattica per progetti nell’insegnamento

di Metodologie e tecniche della ricerca educativa. Giornale italiano della ricerca educativa, 19, 227-239. McGuinness, C., & O’Hare, L. (2012). Introduction to the special issue: New perspectives on developing and as- sessing thinking: Selected papers from the 15th international conference on thinking (ICOT2011). Thinking

Skills and Creativity, 7(2), 75-77.

Mezirow, J. (2003). Transformative learning as discourse. Journal of Transformative Education, 1, 58-63.

Miller, E. C., & Krajcik, J. S. (2019). Promoting deep learning through project-based learning: A design problem.

Disciplinary and Interdisciplinary Science Education Research, 1(1), 7.

Panciroli, C., Corazza, L., Vignola, P., Marcato E., & Leone D. (2018). Didattica innovativa. Soluzioni efficaci per

contesti complessi. Form@re - Open Journal per la formazione in rete, 18, 2, 116-129.

Paparella, N. (2006). Le attività di laboratorio e tirocinio nella formazione universitaria. Indagini e strumenti (Vol.

II). Roma: Armando.

Paparella, N. (2011). Insegnare per competenze in università. Modelli, procedure, metodi. In L. Galliani, C. Zaggia,

& A. Serbati, Apprendere e valutare competenze. Progettazione e sperimentazione di strumenti nelle lauree magistrali

(pp. 45-58). Lecce: Pensa MultiMedia.

Papert, S. (1980) Mindstorms: Children, Computers, And Powerful Ideas. (Ristampa 2020). Basic Books.

Papert, S. (1992). The Children’s machine. New York: BasicBooks.

Pellerey, M. (2018). Educare al pensiero computazione: un’esigenza per i processi di formazione professionale. Ras-

segna CNOS, 34, 2, 37-51.

Pellerey, M. (2018). Educare al pensiero computazionale: alcuni approfondimenti e relativi apporti formativi. Ras-

segna CNOS, 34, 3, 45-58.

Pierce, M. (2013). Coding for middle schoolers: Next-generation programming languages for children are taking up where Logo left off and teaching young students how to code to learn. THE Journal [Technological Horizons

In Education], 40(5).

Quartapelle, F. (Ed.).(1999). Didattica per progetti. Milano: Franco Angeli.

Romero, M., Lepage, A. & Lille, B. (2017) Computational thinking development through creative programming

in higher education. International Journal of Educational Technology in Higher Education, 14, 42.

Shin, N., Bowers, J., Krajcik, J. et al. (2021) Promoting computational thinking through project-based learning.

Discip Interdscip Sci Educ Res 3, 7.

Thomas, J. W. (1998). Project-based learning: Overview. Novato, CA: Buck Institute for Education.

Thomas, J. W. (2000). A review of research on project-based learning. San Rafael, CA: The Autodesk Foundation. Trinchero r. (2006). Valutare l’apprendimento nell’e learning. Dalle abilità alle competenze. Trento: Erickson.

Voogt, J., & Roblin, N. P. (2012). A comparative analysis of international frameworks for 21st century competences:

Implications for national curriculum policies. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 44(3), 299-321.

Vygotskij, L. S. (1962). Thought and language. Chicago: The MIT press (versione italiana: Pensiero e linguaggio del

edita da Giunti).

Vygotskij, L. S. (1974). Storia dello sviluppo delle funzioni psichiche superiori e altri scritti. Firenze: Giunti-Barbera. Wenger, E. (2006). Comunità di pratica. Apprendimento, significato e identità. Milano: Raffaele Cortina (Edizione

originale pubblicata 1998).

Wing, J. M. (2006). Computational thinking. Communications of the ACM, 49(3), 33-35.

Zecca, L. (2014). Tra ‘teorie’ e ‘pratiche’: studio di caso sui Laboratori di Scienze della Formazione Primaria all’Uni-

versità di Milano Bicocca. Giornale Italiano della Ricerca Educativa, VII, 13, 215-230.

Downloads

Published

2021-12-22

How to Cite

Miranda, S. (2021). Project-based learning in computer science laboratory for education. A longitudinal study. ITALIAN JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH, (27), 131–139. https://doi.org/10.7346/sird-022021-p131

Issue

Section

Papers