Incorporating computational thinking and coding in BC secondary mathematics classrooms

There has been considerable attention on the term “computational thinking” (CT) over the past decade in the education community. With a global movement to include coding in the school curriculum, British Columbia (BC) also introduced coding to the K-12 curriculum in 2016. There have been on-going discussions about what CT is, why we should teach CT (and coding), and how we should teach it. However, there has been little research on the current state of affairs in BC with respect to teacher practices related to CT. By surveying, observing and interviewing BC secondary mathematics teachers, this study focuses on teachers’ perspectives on how to incorporate CT and involve coding in classrooms. Results showed that most teachers understood CT as being about problem-solving skills. CT and coding have not been taught frequently but are incorporated in various ways, primarily using block-based programming. Despite challenges, teachers found that these CT and coding activities elicited a high-level engagement and were accessible to a wide range of students.