A computational thinking curriculum and teacher professional development in south korea

Abstract

Changes in industry caused by the development of information and communication technology (ICT) have affected all areas of society, including educational environments. In this age of the “Fourth Industrial Revolution” (Schwab 2016), new technologies continue to integrate the physical, digital and biological worlds, thereby changing the economy, the demands of the workplace, and the educational needs of our youth. In Korea as elsewhere, educational policymakers have come to see that sofeware and computing education are no longer options but basic competencies that students must learn in order to succed in twenty-first century. Many nations (e.g., Korea, United Kingdom, United States, China, Japan, France) have prioritized computational thinking education, that is, education that teaches coding, algorithm, or digital literacy for K-12 students (Bocconi et al. 2016; ISTE and CSTA 2011; NRC 2010; Naace 2014; KICE 2015). As Corporate Vice-President of Microsoft Research Jeanette Wing noted, “Everyone can benefit from thinking computationally. My grand vision is that computational thinking will be a fundamental skill—just like reading, writing, and arithmetic—used by everyone by the middle of the 21st Century.” (Wing 2008). The changes in computing education in Korea from 2005 to 2015 reflect the government’s recognition of the importance of computing education. Accordingly, it has continuously pursued measures designed to give students the ability to apply technology in their daily lives and use it to make a better future for society (code.org 2018; KICE 2015; MoE 2015; MoE et al. 2016; P21 2011).