Establishing Computational Thinking as Just Another Tool in the Problem Solving Tool Box

Even though the computer science education community has not definitively established exactly what ?Computational Thinking" entails, most will agree that it is using a computing machine to solve problems. Like all tools for solving problems, this knowledge should be made available to everyone. Jeannette Wing sounded this call in 2006, writing that "computational methods and models give us the courage to solve problems and design systems that no one of us would be capable of tackling alone." These skills are not just for computer scientists, but for anyone and everyone who plans to solve problems. We already teach other forms of problem solving to all our students including: Mathematical Thinking, Critical Thinking, and Scientific Reasoning. Computational Thinking, as well as engineering and design's Design Thinking, should be equally exposed to all students. It is also important to illuminate that these tools are not used in isolation to solve problems. Perhaps the key to the acceptance of Computational Thinking (as well as Design Thinking) as essential educational tools is to highlight their overlap and interdependence with other problem solving skills. The next generation will need practice with every tool at their disposal to be prepared to solve tomorrow's problems. I propose embedding Computational Thinking in a problem solving framework that leverages teachers' (and students') existing knowledge of problem solving in mathematics, science, and language arts in order to encourage teachers in non CS disciplines to teach Computational Thinking in their classrooms.