Coding and Computational Thinking: Using Arduino to Acquire Problem-Solving Skills

Coding and Computational Thinking (CT) have been recognized as one of the basic skills that students should acquire from childhood. Coding and computers are not just programming but tools that help students to develop problem-solving skills and more deep understanding of the way things work. The promotion of coding skills has become a priority in education worldwide. In the latest years, Scratch is one of the most widely used languages to teach coding at different ages, and the Arduino board allows programming of real artifacts that are able to accomplish tasks in the physical and digital world. In this chapter, a first approach to CT using Arduino and Scratch4Arduino is presented. Learning by doing and tinkering approaches have been used to design eight learning activities. The final objective was to introduce middle school students, without any experience in coding, to programming. The idea was to let them solve real problems, such as managing a railway crossing, using real objects, circuits, and wooden models. The pilot test involved 25 subjects, many of whom have difficulties in STEM disciplines. A pre-test and post-test design was adopted to measure the difference between knowledge and programming skills before and after the learning activities. The results showed that all participants improved their knowledge and programming skills. One of the main interesting results was that after the learning activities, students improve also their interest in technology. An expected result was to present an alternative and creative way of using the technology. In particular, girls showed greater interest in the proposed activities that was confirmed by higher results in learning gain. This could be interesting for the activation of programs to encourage female students to study STEM disciplines.