Bell - CT and Math and some Open Questions about its Connections to Other Fields

There are a lot of examples in Weintrop et al. (2016) that show how mathematics supports computational thinking. But since I’m particularly interested in problem solving, I’m going to focus on an example from that set of practices. Abstractions is one big example from CT and math. In math, abstractions in problem solving include defining the problem space, visualizing data, or creating models (of course that relates to science, too). Abstraction itself is a “keystone” of CT (Grover & Pea, 2013), so engaging in any of these practices in math supports abstraction. But creating computational abstractions, like with computational models or programming to create generalized solutions that can be applied to a variety of problems, specifically supports connections CT in the context of math.

I’m still unsure about how Kaput and colleagues’ (2002) example in ToonTalk relates specifically to mathematics. They say it has to do with formal “rules” and their implications, but I thought their earlier point was that school math focuses a lot already on rules and manipulations of symbols and we want to make the ideas and concepts more explicit and available to everyone. But their focus seems to be on making representational systems, like the ones in math, more learnable so that the knowledge will become available to everyone. I’m just not sure if I agree with them, and their connection to math here seems forced or superficial. Thinking about the prompt for the blog post this week, instead of an example in math that does not support CT, this is kind of an example of using CT (to program in ToonTalk) that does not deeply support math.   

I really like the questions that Weintrop et al. (2016) raise in their paper (and these are big questions I have, too) about how computational thinking is related to math and other types of thinking, how it relates to computer science, and if it requires a computer (p. 128). I think these are really important questions to address if we want CT to be available to all (not just in computer science classes that students self-select into) and to be a part of K-12 education. Assessment is also an ongoing issue in CT education (Grover & Pea, 2013). How do we assess what kids learn about CT in schools, especially if they’re learning CT in the context of math or science or literacy instead of a separate computing course?