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Thinking like a computer

الأسبوع 1 · الدرس ١ «التفكير الحاسوبي وحل المشكلات» (١): المهارات الأربع وخطوات حل المشكلة ومثال جمع رقمين · 3 دروس
1

Thinking like a computer: four skills

ICT Prep 3 Term 1, Unit 1, Lesson 1: pp. 6–7
GoalName the four skills of computational thinking and match each one to an everyday example.
New words
decomposition · splitting a big problem into small parts that are easier to solvepattern recognition · noticing what different problems have in commonabstraction · keeping the details that matter and dropping the restalgorithm design · writing exact steps in a clear order
Explanation

Computational thinking is an organised way of thinking that anyone can use, with or without a computer. It is the way a computer scientist looks at a problem, and it has four skills. Imagine that your class plans a school trip. Decomposition: split the big job into small ones, such as transport, food and money. Pattern recognition: notice that every trip needs a list of names, a time and a permission slip, so an old plan can help the new one. Abstraction: the map for the driver keeps only roads and stops, and leaves out shops and trees, because extra detail would not help the driver. Algorithm design: write the steps in order, like a recipe, so that anyone can follow them. In this course you will use the four skills before you write any code.

SkillThe question it asksSchool-trip example
DecompositionWhat are the small parts?transport, food, money
Pattern recognitionWhat is the same as before?every trip needs a list of names
AbstractionWhat matters, what can I drop?a map keeps roads and stops only
Algorithm designIn which order do I do it?a recipe-like list of steps
Worked examples
Omar must clean the class garden. He splits the job into three small ones: pick up litter, water the plants and tidy the tools. Each small job is easy to give to a pair of pupils. That is decomposition.
gates, stairs, classroomswall colour, trees
Salma draws a plan of her school for a new pupil. She draws the gates, the stairs and the classrooms, and she leaves out the colour of the walls and the trees. The plan keeps only what helps the new pupil find the way. That is abstraction.
Class activity

Choose a job at home, for example preparing a family meal. Write a table with four rows: the small parts (decomposition), what is the same as another job you did (pattern), what you can ignore (abstraction) and the steps in order (algorithm). Show it to a grown-up.

Practice
1
Which skill splits a big problem into small parts?
2
A pupil keeps the bus lines on a map and ignores the colour of the buses. Which skill is this?
3
Why is a recipe an example of an algorithm?
4
Two homework tasks both need these parts: read the question, collect facts, write the answer. Which skill notices this?