ABSTRACT
This chapter treats computational thinking as a means of expression and communication. The notion of computational thinking encompasses a broad set of analytic and problem-solving skills, dispositions, habits, and approaches most often used in computer science, but that can serve everyone. Computational thinking represents a type of analytical thinking that shares similarities with mathematical thinking, engineering thinking and scientific thinking. In STEM education programs, computational thinking is defined as a set of cognitive skills for identifying patterns, breaking apart complex problems into smaller steps, organizing and creating a series of steps to provide solutions, and building a representation of data through simulations. Coding in the playground is possible and can promote computational thinking. The playground approach to coding provides opportunities to encounter a complex system of ideas that is logically organized and utilizes abstraction and representation—as well as the skills and habits of mind to put those powerful ideas to use—by making personally meaningful projects.
