An Evolving Definition of Computational Thinking in Science and Mathematics Classrooms

Computational Thinking (CT) curricula are increasingly being integrated into K-12 education across multiple subject areas. Our approach to this integration is to define Computational Thinking in terms of prevalent practices of professional disciplines. As our understanding of these practices evolve, so too must our operational definition of CT. Here we present a refined definition of CT in science and mathematics classrooms. Based on our extensive research designing and studying CT curricular units in collaboration with science and mathematics teachers, we have arrived at a working draft of a revised computational thinking in science and math taxonomy. We present the new version of taxonomy which has six revised categories of practices: computational modeling and simulation, computational visualization, algorithms, data practices, programming, and computational problem solving. We describe each category and how they are related.