ABSTRACT
This chapter reflects on where computational thinking (CT) is today – from growing recognition as an idea and 21st-century skill in the mainstream, to a widely-acknowledged part of school curricula. It traces CT’s evolution from late 20th century notions of thinking skills and practices in computer science as per Knuth’s (1980) writings of computer science thinking as well as Denning’s (1989) work on key ideas in computing, to articulation by Wing and others in the field in the last decade and a half. The chapter shares established definitions of CT today, the different arguments for embedding it into compulsory education, and how this is being achieved through a plurality of pedagogies and approaches. In particular, the chapter describes how CT is increasingly seeing adoption as a cross-cutting skill to bring computational expression, coding, as well as problem solving into all subjects through wide-ranging integration efforts. Recent initiatives to define CT integration frameworks for much-needed coherence and guidance are also described. The chapter ends with a reflection on open questions that point to a need for continued empirical inquiry, including, among other things, to build a better understanding of unplugged approaches for teaching CT, and how expanding our framings of CT can address equity.
