Developing Computational Thinking in Basic School: Resources from Mathematics Teachers in Portugal

Abstract

In the context of the development of the project “Computational Thinking in Elementary Schools in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Where is the Teacher” a group of teachers from Portuguese-speaking countries in Brazil, Portugal, Cape Verde and Angola, joined to coordinate researchers to reflect on the topic. Accordingly, this paper outlines some of the results obtained from Portuguese participation in this project and reflect the possibility of developments of Computational Thinking in elementary schools. Results, which are the resources developed by the participants, include the use of different software to work mathematical content and computational thinking in the curriculum with students of different levels of education. In the research associated with teacher education, was important to understand the stages of the training process, analyse the data under the lens of Everett Rogers’ innovation-decision process theory, also was considered the Progressive Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge -TPACK model by Niess. Considering the teaching experiment methodology, the possibilities of educational improvement were studied, through the creation of resources in the context of the project, subject to reassessments and adjustments in its progress. Results show that participants went through different stages, improving their knowledge of the contents, didactics, technology, and curriculum, influencing their teaching practice, and showing the possibility of learning carried out by their students.