Developing Computational Thinking Skills through the Cross-disciplinary project: “Literacy from Scratch”

DOI: 10.5176/2251-1814_EeL15.41

Authors: Lawrence Williams

Abstract: This presentation builds on the rapidly growing international success of the innovative Computing project, “Literacy from Scratch”, created by Lawrence Williams, at Brunel University London, in 2012 (1) and shows how computational thinking skills, and literacy, can be simultaneously developed through a creative and cross-disciplinary project (2). “Literacy from Scratch” is now established in several countries (in England, the Czech Republic (3), Italy, and in Pakistan) and it has been presented in several more (4, and 5). Research to underpin the project is currently underway in Prague (4). This paper (Extended Abstract) looks first at the cross-disciplinary aspects of the project, and then, briefly, at the computational thinking skills that it simultaneously helps to develop.

Keywords: Computing, computer programming, creativity, cross-disciplinary teaching and learning (i.e. computational thinking skills, story-telling, art, music, bi-lingualism)