The Informatics and Computational Thinking Challenge Bebras is well-known around the world, with 4 million pupils in more than 80 countries completing the contest last year. The main goal of Bebras is to develop computational thinking and modern problem-solving skills, to introduce the most important concepts of computer science: algorithm building, program design, decomposition – breaking down complex tasks into their parts, recognising patterns – regularities in data and processes, abstracting, summarising, and evaluating the problems being solved.
An anniversary event was held at the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport and the Agency for Non-Formal Education of Lithuania on September 26-27. During these days, many guests from different countries gathered to share their experiences and methodological and research insights for teaching informatics in several seminars and workshops. The objectives and early research findings of the DIGITAL FIRST project were also presented during the events.
Professor Aušra Kazlauskienė from Vilnius University presented the current status of teaching and learning strategies in informatics across Europe based on the outcomes of the DIGITAL FIRST survey.
Professor Valentina Dagienė provided an overview of informatics activities in the Bebras for 20 years.
The quantitative study carried out by DIGITAL FIRST in ten countries reveals the teaching and learning strategies used by teachers. The results show that teacher-centred teaching and learning strategies are the most common in informatics education (e.g. instructional-based teaching, demonstration, imitation). Quite a few teachers use problem-based strategies in their classes. From the multi-modal, interaction-based set of strategies, the collaborative or communication-based strategies were the most commonly used in informatics education.
The most common teaching and learning methods used in informatics education are those that focus on passive students’ activities (e.g. repetition, explanation, demonstration, direct instruction). From the set of experiential, interaction-based methods, teachers mainly use team or group-based methods. From the set of digital multimodal methods, interactive exercises were often used (rarely used methods: AI, modelling, online forums, computer simulation). Tests, and assignments from the book are also often used teaching and learning methods in informatics education, focusing only on the level of knowledge and understanding (with the purpose to replicate, describe, recognise, etc.).
