Student Strategies for Learning Computer Programming: Implications for Pedagogy in Informatics

Abstract

In the context of the debate about the extent to which secondary school Informatics curricula should include specifically vocational content, this paper explores the possibility that in Informatics teaching, there is value in adopting pedagogical approaches, rather than curriculum content, based on practice in industry and business settings. This paper reports research findings that raise questions about the widely held assumption that students will gain their programming knowledge and skills predominantly from classroom activities undertaken at the instigation of the Informatics teacher. Investigation of sources of students' information about programming skills and knowledge indicates that such an assumption is not well founded, and leads to the suggestion that innovative approaches to pedagogy in this area should be explored.

Two studies, each a part of a larger project, are reported here. The first showed that a group of Grade 5 students, skilled programmers in the MicroWorlds multimedia programming environment, sought and acquired programming skills and techniques from a wide variety of sources, many of which were not classroom based. The second reports a formalisation of this model of student initiated seeking among a range of resource people for immediately needed expert advice. This was observed in a deliberately constructionist learning environment in an after-school Computer Clubhouse where students are supported by mentors with different specialist areas of expertise as well as by a teacher.

The importance of these issues for Informatics teaching, assessment, course design and evaluation, and for the preparation of Informatics teachers is considered, and the need for further research in this area is outlined.