Coach teachers in and model design and implementation of technology-enhanced learning experiences emphasizing creativity, higher-order thinking skills and processes, and mental habits of mind (e.g., critical thinking, metacognition, and self-regulation). (ISTE, 2011)
I am constantly searching for ways to challenge my students to be more creative in my computer science courses. My course work at SPU has given me time to explore how other instructors approach this goal. One of the more interesting cases I found while considering professional learning that improves student learning is in the field of engineering. The engineering instructor Frank Holthouse uses “messy” real-world problems to challenge his student’s problem-solving skills.
This provided me inspiration to do something similar in my computer science programming courses. At the time, I was moving my Android programming course to a project-based learning approach. I needed projects for an Android device that would engage my students while also challenge their creativity and problem-solving skills. I decided to focus on mobile games for one of my projects. I wanted students to come up with a game that could be played easily on an Android mobile device – phone or tablet.
The students could either pick a multi-player game or a single player game. In either case, I asked the students to include a ‘computer move’ feature. For a single player game, it would suggest the next best move in the game. For a multi-player game, it would allow one user to play a game against the computer. Some of my students struggled with how best to implement the computer move for their game, and approached me for advice. This encounter really provided me the perfect opportunity to challenge my student’s critical thinking and creativity skills. I did not provide a solution to my students, but instead asked them probing questions about how they played their game. This got the students working on their metacognition – thinking about how they think when playing the game. In the end, the students really got engaged in coming up with better and better computer moves.
References
- International Society for Technology in Education. (ISTE; 2011). Standards for Coaches. https://id.iste.org/docs/pdfs/20-14_ISTE_Standards-C_PDF.pdf.