Yogyakarta – SEAQiM concerted effort to prepare young minds for an increasingly digital world. SD Budi Mulia Dua Pandeansari-Yogyakarta was selected as a school to implement the computational thinking workbook with students in the workshop titled “2nd Workshop on Developing Computational Thinking Workbook.” Held on 4 October 2023, on-site, the workshop is a form of a collaborative project between SEAQiM, SEAMEO RECSAM (Malaysia), SEAMEO SEAMOLEC (Jakarta), SEAMEO STEM-ED (Thailand), University of Tsukuba Japan, University of Chile, and Khon Kaen University (Thailand). This event was conducted with an experiment using the Computational Thinking workbook for Indonesian students. Previously, SEAQiM and other said institutions have implemented this experiment in Khon Kaen, Thailand.
Colour Ideas-Unplugged Computational Thinking 1, a workbook by Prof. Roberto Araya from the University of Chile, is the source of one of the activities used for this experiment. About fifteen (15) 4th-grade primary school students from SD Budi Mulia Dua Pandeansari experienced being respondents in the following experiment. They underwent exciting colouring activities based on computational thinking. Dr Sri Wulandari Danoebroto, SEAQiM Deputy Director for Programme, acted as a teacher to instruct the students. First, students were invited to colour the workbook based on the instruction in their own interpretation. The second activity was keeping the students free to colour without instructions, and then they were asked to make instructions based on their colouring for other friends to interpret. As a result, with various colour experiments, the selected students presented their colouring work paper. All students actively engaged in hands-on activities designed to foster computational thinking in young learners.
With the colouring-based activities, computational thinking will emerge as a crucial skill for the future, addressing these skills at an early age, ensuring students are well-prepared for the digital challenges of tomorrow, and making it a natural part of students’ learning experiences. The half-day workshop featured experts in the related field. Prof Roberto Araya (University of Chile) and Prof Masami Isoda (University of Tsukuba) accompanied us to make the event a grand success. Educators had the opportunity to learn about innovative teaching methods, curriculum integration, and practical classroom exercises based on computational thinking in primary school students. Dr Kritsachai Somsaman and Dr. Orawan Sriboonruang (SEAMEO STEM-ED), Dr Wahyudi and team (SEAMEO SEAMOLEC), SEAQiM Board of Directors and specialists, invited observer from BBGP DIY, and all the teachers involved there contributed as observers.
At the end of the agenda, all participants interactively discussed the obstacles they faced and what conditions were possible and had occurred during the experiments. The results of these discussions will be brought back to SEAQiM for further identification and empowered as the basis for further collaboration opportunities to develop learning activities that support computational thinking skills.
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