COMPUTATIONAL THINKING AS A MODERN EDUCATIONAL TREND

Abstract

In the article, the authors consider the essence of the concept of "computational thinking" as an actual contemporary trend in foreign education. The relevance, theoretical significance of the notion of computational thinking, is substantiated, various approaches to the definition of its essence are described. The operational definition of computational thinking for 12-year secondary education is presented. Author's definition of computational thinking is given as the intellectual ability of a person to solve complex problems by constructing systems and processes that can be implemented using computers. The main components of computational thinking are described: decomposition, pattern recognition, abstraction, and algorithms. The authors emphasize that computational thinking is inherent primarily to programmers, but with the development of computers and their use in all areas of human life, this kind of thinking becomes a universal ability, necessary for anyone to succeed in a digital society. Computational thinking is closely linked to procedural, algorithmic, structural and critical thinking, and contains these types of thinking. The necessity of forming computational thinking of pupils during learning various school subjects is substantiated. The experience of improving the skills of teachers in the formation and development of computational thinking of pupils is described. It is concluded that the introduction of methods and means of forming computational thinking in the educational process requires a large-scale continuous professional training of teachers and new pedagogical approaches.