COMPUTATIONAL THINKING L1: PROBLEM SOLVING YEAR 8 COMPUTER SCIENCE @MRC-ACADEMY

SETTLER ACTIVITY Today we will be discussing problem solving. Think about the following: What problems have you recently faced? How did you overcome that problem? Was the problem simple or complex? SETTLER ACTIVITY

THIS LESSON: LEARNING OBJECTIVES In this lesson you will: UNDERSTAND the term ‘problem solving’. EXPLORE the techniques you use to overcome problems. UNDERSTAND the role of the computer scientist. RESEARCH a computer scientist. So that you can: REALISE the importance of being a computer scientist.

PROBLEM SOLVING Throughout our lives, we are faced with problems which we have to learn how to overcome. Some problems are simple and others are complex. A complex problem is one that, at first glance, we don’t know how to solve easily. In this unit, you will learn a technique used by computer scientists to overcome complex problems. But before we start, I want to know how you currently solve a problem...

PROBLEMS TASK 1 AMATUER: List the factors that could affect your journey. SEMI-PRO: Consider the decisions that you may need to make. PRO: What would be your plan? CONCLUDE: What techniques (if any) did you use to tackle this problem? You and a group of friends have decided to meet up at Brighton. You have never been there before. What would you do? How would you plan your journey? 10min task 2 Player Complete in OneNote

You were faced with a problem. How did you overcome it? CLASS QUESTION You were faced with a problem. How did you overcome it?

INTRO TO COMPUTATIONAL THINKING Before a problem can be tackled, the problem itself and the ways in which it could be solved need to be understood. Computational thinking allows us to take a complex problem, understand what the problem is and develop possible solutions. We can then present these solutions in a way that a computer, a human, or both, can understand.

PROBLEMS & PROGRAMMING Thinking computationally is not programming. It is not even thinking like a computer, as computers do not, and cannot, think. Simply put, programming tells a computer what to do and how to do it. Computational thinking enables you to work out exactly what to tell the computer to do.

COMPUTER SCIENTIST A computer scientist’s job can be divided into three areas: Defining and analysing problems. Creating a structured solution or algorithm. Coding the solution. The first two parts contribute to what we consider as ‘problem solving’. The third area is what a computer scientist does after they have solved the problem.

Can you name a computer scientist? What did they achieve? CLASS QUESTION Can you name a computer scientist? What did they achieve?

TASK 2 COMPUTER SCIENTIST Research one of the following computer scientists: Elon Musk Tim Berners-Lee Bill Gates FIND OUT: who are they? what did they achieve? what problems did they solve? EXTENSION: What would you do if you were a computer scientist? 20min task 1 Player Complete in OneNote

SHARE YOUR WORK Show your work to the person next to you. What did they find out in the research task? Did they find good information? What have they done well? How could you improve your work? Add your comments in to their work in purple font.

NEXT LESSON REMEMBER: Problem solving is essential for our survival, and the techniques used in computational thinking can be applied to help solve lots of problems. Next lesson, we will look at the first two stages of COMPUTATIONAL THINKING.