What is Computational Thinking?
Computational Thinking is… not so easy to define as it turns out. What the heck is it? Here’s my first pass at my own personal working definition.
Computational Thinking is the effective application of skills and knowledge in contemporary Data, Information and Computer Sciences in problem solving within a variety of domains, using computation by information processing agents (both human and machine).
Not completely satisfied with my first attempt, I walked away for about six weeks, and read more deeply on Computational Thinking. Without revisiting the first attempt, I once again attempted to construct a verbal definition of computational thinking that could serve as my explicit mental model, or Object to think with, (Papert, 1980).
Computational thinking, simply thinking which involves a component of computation…
More thoroughly, Computational Thinking is a collection of previously defined higher order skills (Inductive and Deductive Logical Thinking, Mathematical Thinking, Critical Thinking, ) and domain specific Computer Science (CS) knowledge, the affordances of which may be leveraged to accurately analyze, model, predict and provide solutions to complex issues.
I think I’m getting closer, but will continue to update my thoughts as they develop!
What’s your preferred definition?
Mike
