Break It Down
Staff Development Guide
Training situation: Training (large group)
Length: 120 minutes
Objectives: Participants will learn how breaking problems into smaller, manageable parts is key to computational thinking and building this skill.
Agenda
- Welcome and introduction – 5 minutes
- See the skill in action – 5 minutes
- Practicing computational thinking – 25 minutes
- Process the experience with a gallery walk – 10 minutes
- See the skill in action – 10 minutes
- Break It Down video-based learning module
- Using a graphic organizer – 10 minutes
- Engage in active learning at the computers – 40 minutes
- Process the experience – 10 minutes
- Conclusion – 5 minutes
Video-Based Learning Modules
As you watch the skill video below, think about these questions:
- Who is doing the problem-solving in this activity, the facilitator or the learners?
- What questions does Dagen use to encourage and support active learning?
- How do you know if youth are engaged in active learning?
Now that you’ve watched the video, reflect on what you saw and post your responses.
- How do the computational thinking practices support active learning?
- How could you support active learning with the youth you work with?
- What are the benefits to youth when they are engaged in active STEM learning?
Explore More Like This
Making STEM Meaningful
Apply strategies for making STEM meaningful to their upcoming activity plans to learn to get youth actively engaged in STEM learning.
Developing Skills Needed for Active STEM Learning
Bring STEM possibilities to life by showing youth the skills they need (and already have) to be successful at STEM learning.
You’re a Computational Thinker
Learn how you’re a computational thinker, how computational thinking practices fit into other activities, and how to develop these practices with youth.