Coding with Block Programming Languages in Educational Robotics and Mobiles, Improve Problem Solving, Creativity & Critical Thinking Skills
Ioanna Moraiti, Anestis Fotoglou, Athanasios Drigas
Abstract
The purpose of the article is to highlight how students' computational thinking, which is a critical thinking skill, can be developed through educational robotics and programming. It is a fun and engaging learning activity that encourages students to collaborate, delve into a problem, construct knowledge, and cultivate critical thinking. Educational robotics is therefore an innovative teaching tool, which contributes to the implementation of the above goal and follows the principles of building, specifically the construction of knowledge (Mikropoulos & Bellou, 2010). It develops students' critical thinking, strengthens their mental models, and activates known learning mechanisms leading them to a deeper level of understanding and assimilation of knowledge, which cannot be accomplished with traditional teaching methodologies. It has also been proven to be able to help students solve complex problems as well as contribute to the development of computational thinking skills (Atmatzidou & Demetriadis, 2014), which should characterize the entire literate population and complement the other three basic reading skills, writing, and mathematics (Mavroudis, Petrou & Fesakis, 2014).