Developing Computational Thinking Through Integrating Animation Into Early Childhood Mathematics Learning

• In Event: Integrating Computational Thinking and Other Developmental and Learning Domains in Early Childhood

Abstract

The role of computational thinking (CT) in STEAM education, such as science (Weintrop et al., 2016) and math education (Ng & Cui, 2020) for young children, has been widely explored. Meanwhile, the supporting roles of digital devices in young children's literacy (Marsh, 2012), arts (Terreni, 2011), and math (Jowett et al., 2012) learning have also been confirmed. However, the early years linkage between CT and digital visual arts has not been well established. For instance, digital visual arts, in the form of animation, provides an ideal arena for investigating such a linkage; thus, it deserves empirical studies.

The study explored how young children's CT skills could be promoted by integrating early mathematics into animation-making activities in Hong Kong kindergartens. In particular, this study addressed three research questions: (1) What types of CT skills do children demonstrate through integrating early mathematics in animation-making? (2) How do different levels of kindergarten children apply their CT skills and integrate mathematical knowledge to create animation? (3) How do kindergarten teachers perceive animation's effectiveness and feasibility in facilitating children's CT in mathematics learning?

Through convenience sampling, four kindergartens in Hong Kong (Johnson & Christensen, 2010) were invited to participate in this multiple-case study. They launched the learning activities based on the theory of Constructionism, which suggests that learning occurs through actively building knowledge structures by creating a shareable product based on authentic experiences. A series of digital arts workshops called Animation Art for Young Children was co-taught by the class teachers of the participating kindergartens. These workshops aimed to help children develop problem-solving skills and computational thinking through algorithm-design activities for creating animation art using mathematical concepts such as tangram, coordinates, and dimensions. The 16 classrooms (four from each participating kindergarten) were observed and videotaped for 480 minutes of video data. After observation, the 32 class teachers (two from each class) attended the focus group interviews, with each group consisting of 8 teachers (Patton, 2002). A total of 180 minutes of audiotaped interview data was collected and analyzed.

The videotaped observations and field notes jointly indicated that the children's CT concepts and practices mapped onto the CT conceptual framework. The older children demonstrated more advanced competencies and a more complex thought process regarding the design process, idea representation, structure control, debugging, algorithm design, modularity, and hardware/software use. This finding has confirmed the linkage between CT and digital visual arts in early childhood classrooms, highlighting the educational value of developing an age-appropriate curriculum consolidating the integration of CT, early mathematics, and digital visual arts. Implications for early childhood curriculum development and teacher professional development regarding CT and STEAM have also been discussed.

Authors

• Suzannie Kit-Ying Leung, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

• Joseph Wu, City University of Hong Kong