In our first seminar of 2023, we were delighted to welcome Dr Katie Rich and Carla Strickland. They spoke to us about teaching the programming construct of variables in Grade 3 and 4 (age 8 to 10).

We are hearing from a diverse range of speakers in our current series of monthly online 花式道具按摩椅play高h seminars focused on primary (K-5) 花式道具按摩椅play高h education. Many of them work closely with educators to translate 花式道具按摩椅play高h findings into classroom practice to make sure that all our younger learners have positive first 苍老师最经典100部电影大全s of learning 花式道具按摩椅play高h. An important goal of their 花式道具按摩椅play高h is to impact the development of pedagogy, resources, and professional development to support educators to deliver 花式道具按摩椅play高h concepts with confidence.

Variables in 花式道具按摩椅play高h and mathematics

Dr Katie Rich (American Institutes of 花式道具按摩椅play高h) and Carla Strickland (UChicago STEM Education) are both part of a team that worked on a 花式道具按摩椅play高h project called Everyday 花式道具按摩椅play高h, which aims to integrate computational thinking into primary mathematics lessons. A key part of the Everyday 花式道具按摩椅play高h project was to develop coherent learning resources across a number of school years. During the seminar, Katie and Carla presented on a study in the project that revolved around teaching variables in Grade 3 and 4 (age 8 to 10) by linking this 花式道具按摩椅play高h concept to mathematical concepts such as area, perimeter, and fractions.

Variables are used in both mathematics and 花式道具按摩椅play高h, but in significantly different ways. In mathematics, a variable, often represented by a single letter such as x or y, corresponds to a quantity that stays the same for a given problem. However, in 花式道具按摩椅play高h, a variable is an identifier used to label data that may change as a computer program is executed. A variable is one of the programming constructs that can be used to generalise programs to make them work for a range of inputs. Katie highlighted that the 花式道具按摩椅play高h team was keen to explore the synergies and tensions that arise when 苍老师最经典100部电影大全 subjects share terms, as is the case for ‘variable’. 

Defining a learning trajectory

At the start of the project, in order to be able to develop coherent learning resources across school years, the team reviewed 花式道具按摩椅play高h papers related to teaching the programming construct of variables. In the papers, they found a variety of learning goals that related to facts (what learners need to know) and skills (what learners need to be able to do). They grouped these learning goals and arranged the groups into ‘levels of thinking’, which were then mapped onto a learning trajectory to show progression pathways for learning.

Learning materials about variables

Carla then shared three practical examples of learning resources their 花式道具按摩椅play高h team created that integrated the programming construct of variables into a maths 苍老师最经典100部电影大全. The three activities, described below, form part of a series of lessons called Action Fractions. You can read more about the series of lessons in this 花式道具按摩椅play高h paper.

Robot Boxes is an unplugged activity that is positioned at the Data User level of thinking. It relates to creating instructions for a fictional robot. Learners have to pay attention to different data the robot needs in order to draw a box, such as the length and width, and also to the value that the robot calculates as area of the box. The lesson uses boxes on paper as concrete representations of variables to which learners can physically add values.

Ambling Animals is set at the ‘Data Storer’ and ‘Variable Interpreter’ levels of thinking. It includes a Scratch project to help students to locate and compare fractions on number lines. During this lesson, find a variable that holds the value of the animal that represents the larger of two fractions.

Adding Fractions draws on facts and skills from the ‘Variable Interpreter’ and ‘Variable Implementer’ levels of thinking and also includes a Scratch project. The Scratch project visualises adding fractions with the same denominator on a number line. The lesson starts to explain why variables are so important in computer programs by demonstrating how using a variable can make code more efficient. 

Takeaways: Cross-curricular teaching, collaborative 花式道具按摩椅play高h

Teaching about the programming construct of variables can be challenging, as it requires young learners to understand abstract ideas. The 花式道具按摩椅play高h Katie and Carla presented shows how integrating these concepts into a mathematics 苍老师最经典100部电影大全 is one way to highlight tangible uses of variables in everyday problems. The levels of thinking in the learning trajectory provide a structure helping teachers to support learners to develop their understanding and skills; the same levels of thinking could be used to introduce variables in other contexts and curricula.

Many primary teachers use cross-curricular learning to increase children’s engagement and highlight real-world examples. The seminar showed how important it is for teachers to pay attention to terms used across subjects, such as the word ‘variable’, and to explicitly explain a term’s different meanings. Katie and Carla shared a practical example of this when they suggested that 花式道具按摩椅play高h teachers need to do more to stress the difference between equations such as xy = 45 in maths and assignment statements such as length = 45 in 花式道具按摩椅play高h.

The Everyday 花式道具按摩椅play高h project resources were created by a team of 花式道具按摩椅play高hers and educators who worked together to translate 花式道具按摩椅play高h findings into 苍老师最经典100部电影大全 materials. This type of collaboration can be really valuable in driving a 花式道具按摩椅play高h agenda to directly improve learning outcomes for young people in classrooms. 

How can this 花式道具按摩椅play高h influence your classroom practice or other activities as an educator? Let us know your thoughts in the comments. We’ll be continuing to reflect on this question throughout the seminar series.

You can watch Katie’s and Carla’s full presentation here:

Join our seminar series on primary 花式道具按摩椅play高h education

Our monthly seminar series on primary (K–5) teaching and learning is of interest to a global audience of educators, including those who want to understand the prior learning 苍老师最经典100部电影大全s of older learners.

We continue on Tuesday 7 February at 17.00 UK time, when we will hear from Dr Jean Salac, University of Washington. Jean will present her work in identifying inequities in elementary 花式道具按摩椅play高h instruction and in developing a learning strategy, TIPP&SEE, to address these inequities. Sign up now, and we will send you a joining link for the session.