Section 0.2

Learning Goals

• Students will demonstrate the effectiveness of collaboration.

• Students will model effective communication to achieve a shared goal.

• Students will write an algorithm in their natural language.

Vocabulary:  collaboration, algorithm, abstraction

Objectives and General Description

The objective for this section is to immerse students in activities that will highlight the importance of clear communication and the impact that collaboration can have  on computational problem solving.   After the activities have been completed,  students will engage in reflection discussions about growth mindset, abstractions and algorithms.  We want CS students to understand the importance of knowing what to do when faced with a challenging problem.  They also need to recognize what their personal reaction is to problems that seem "too hard".  Do they react with humor?  with anger? Do they shut down and wait for someone to give them the answer?  Do they break the problem down into manageable pieces?   

Knowing how you react to a hard challenge is the first step to solving a problem.  Students need to understand that the majority of our reactions are normal reactions.  Knowing what to do at that point is critical.  How do you keep making progress when you face a challenge?  We want students to develop a set of tools to use in their problem solving process.  Communication and collaboration are two of those important tools that successful problem solvers utilize.

Activities

Activity 0.2.1   (Budget 30 minutes)

Students will participate in two collaborative partner origami activities with varying rules of communication.

1. Task 1:  paper airplane

   •   Have students find a partner.  They need to sit back to back. One student will be giving directions; the other will be folding the paper.

   • Restrictions:  

     • The student who is folding can NOT talk or ask questions.   

     • The student who is giving directions can NOT look at the student who is folding or the progress of the origami task.

     • The student who is giving directions can NOT tell the partner that they are creating a plane.  They can only give directions on the folds that need to be made.

   • Give the airplane instruction page to the student who is giving directions.  Instructions from http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Paper_plane 

   • Let students have 10 minutes to complete the task.  Do not have a discussion about the process yet.

   • Let students fly their airplane into the recycling bins.

2. Task 2:  Origami jumping frog

   • Partners switch roles.

   • Start with same restrictions as above.

   • Use the origami jumping frog instructions (in Japanese). 

   • This is a much more challenging activity.  After a few minutes, stop the students and lift the restrictions.  They can talk and work together. See how many jumping frogs get created.

3. Discussion and reflection:  

   • Growth mindset:  You will notice many different reactions to these activities.  Some students get frustrated and stop working. Others get silly when a challenging task gets encountered while others dig in and keep working relentlessly.  Use this activity to guide a discussion on the growth mindset. Students need to learn to recognize how they individually react to a hard problem and how to keep moving forward.

     • Sample questions:  How did you feel during these activities? Which one was harder?  How did it feel to get a working solution? How did it feel when you could talk to your partner?

   • Importance of communication:  Which task was harder? Easier?  Was it more or less helpful to be able to talk to your partner?  WHY? (Problem solving and brainstorming often happen more efficiently when verbalized).

   • Prior experience:  Why was the airplane easier than the frog?  Did it make a difference when you realized that you were making an airplane?  

     • Most students have made a paper airplane previously.  Point out that the instructions may have been hard at first with all of the restrictions but once they knew “what” they were making, they could connect with previous knowledge to be successful.

     • How does the paper plane activity illustrate an abstraction?  I could have just said “make a paper airplane” and the students could have done it without the specific, detailed instructions.  An abstraction reduces information and detail to facilitate focus on relevant concepts.

     • Explain the computer science teaching rationale of linking new topics/concepts with previously experienced activities.  It makes learning the new stuff easier and gives them a frame of reference.  

   • Emphasize significance of collaboration when solving a problem. Collaboration is the joint effort of multiple people or groups to accomplish a task or a project.

Activity 0.2.2  (Budget 15-20 minutes)   

Students practice writing an algorithm for how to make a PB & J sandwich.

1.  Explain that the templates for the origami activities were algorithms.  An algorithm is a clear and unambiguous set of instructions to solve a problem or complete a task.  

2. Give the students one minute to write an algorithm for making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  Collect the papers and skim through them. Look for a few examples that are unclear and a few that are well written and precise.

3. *Demonstrate the algorithms EXACTLY as they are written, highlighting the necessity of clear, specific instructions.  Be silly and have fun with this. The kids think it is funny when I stick my hand in the jelly or squish the bread together. Don’t single out any student...just make this a fun activity that highlights the importance of breaking a problem into specific, manageable steps.

4. Discuss & reflect:  A computer can only do what we tell it to do through algorithms in various programming languages.  However, algorithms exist all around us.  What are some common algorithms that you use everyday?  Have students discuss through a think-pair-share format or general class discussion.

*NOTE:  If you have a student with peanut allergies, use margarine instead of peanut butter.

Resources

• 0.2.1: Origami Airplane Instruction Picture (student resource)

• 0.2.1: Origami Airplane Instruction Picture Source (teacher resource)

• 0.2.1: Origami Jumping Frog Instructions (student resource)