Running Head: Computational Thinking Game Cronin & Barber

Computational Thinking Game: Object-Oriented Programming

Abby Cronin & Jillian Barber
ECED 407
Professor Obenshain
March 8, 2018
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Computational Thinking Game: Object-oriented programming

Computational Thinking is a process that involves problem-solving. Computational

thinking is used in the development of computer software. It can also be used as in aid in

problem-solving throughout all domains in education, including math, science, and the

humanities. Computational thinking can give students a connection between all subjects and in

aspects of their lives outside of the classroom. Some subcategories of computational thinking

include: decomposition, the breakdown of data and processes into more manageable

components; pattern recognition, the observation of patterns in data; abstraction, the

identification of the principles that develop patterns; and algorithm design, the development of

instructions for solving problems.

Computational thinking is the breakdown of steps to solve a problem and should be

taught in early childhood education because it bridges concepts between all domains of

education. If children understand the concepts of computer science to solve problems and begin

to think like a computer, they will be able to logically solve step-by-step problems the more

advanced they become later in their education. When teaching computational thinking, teachers

can omit the technology or computer science aspect and involve young learners in puzzles,

categorization games, manipulatives, etc. Young children can learn how to think like a computer

and use computational thinking to program their minds to solve puzzles, equations, or problems

in a logical and efficient way. Many teachers are anxious to use computational thinking in their

classrooms; however, it is not a frightening idea. One way that a teacher can incorporate Object

Oriented Programming in their lesson is through the categorization game we created for a group

of four-year-old’s.
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Object Oriented Programming (OOP) is organizing objects from categories in sequential

interactions. This is a system of programming that organizes software components into objects

that move on your que rather than words or codes to make games, websites, etc. Our game

teaches this concept by asking them to organize alphabet letters in numerous ways This makes

programming easy for young children to learn since it is more visual and relatable. Our game

relates to this because it is visual and sequential. Children can find OOP fun because of certain

game like qualities we have tried to incorporate into our lesson as well. We will ask them a series

of organizational tasks around the alphabet such as separate consonants from vowels, separate

letters according to color, and differentiate between upper and lowercase letters. This will

exercise their letter recognition skills through OOP by further familiarizing them by organizing

the letters.

The game that we created involves object-oriented programming for four-year-old’s. The

game incorporates the organization of letters through multiple categories. There are two sets of

the alphabet, one uppercase and one lowercase set, with a random variation of the colors blue,

yellow, and red. Each letter is cut out and has a magnet attached to the back. The game will be

performed on a magnetic whiteboard and the students will be divided into two teams. The game

will be like a relay race and there will be two children competing to organize the letters in a

category that was assigned to them. After one of the children finish categorizing the letters, they

hit the buzzer or another reward as a form of gamification. For example, two children will

approach the white board with all the letters spread out across the board available to them. The

teacher will tell student A to organize all the red letters in group and student B to organize all the

blue letters in a group. After both students finish, they will hit the buzzer and the next student on

their team will approach the board and the teacher will assign them another category to organize
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the letters into, which will be capitals and lower case. This cycle will repeat with other categories

such as vowels and consonants, open and closed letters, red and yellow, and blue and yellow.