| Summary: | This article is dedicated to the developing of methodology for teaching high school students computer science disciplines like algorithms and programming, using a problem-based learning with visual modeling tools.
Problem-based learning should help to overcome the passivity of a student as a listener to active knowledge producing by him/herself. The article highlights the advantages of this approach, describes a class of problem tasks and their types separating levels of difficulty and problematic. Methodological difficulties were also identified. To overcome them we propose visual modeling tools and a methodology for teaching IT with their application. Visual modeling tool is a type of software that allows to create visual abstractions and reproduce concepts and objects of the real world with their relationships that supports solving process. Formed skills of working with these tools allows students to independently present, represent and express their knowledge. Furthermore, visual modeling tools can be used for structuring the solving process, optimizing the time on every solving stage.
Following visual modeling tools are considered: mind maps, concept maps, argument maps, decision trees, causal models, execution schedules, process diagrams, as well as the use of preformal models based on i- and c-maps that are simpler for implementation for school students. The possibilities of their application at various stages of solving problem process are given.
The article presents the results of comparing the learning outcomes of the control and experimental groups, which show that the proposed visual modeling tools for problem tasks solving in the field of algorithms and programming increase the effectiveness of the educational process.
|
|---|
