Nursery World - Learning & Development: Computational Thinking, part 2

Pattern-spotting and decomposition are two of the six fundamental skills required for computational thinking. Marc Faulder examines how they best fit with what is already practised in the early years

Technology redefines the way we work and the type of work we do, so it is essential that we prepare our children for life in a digital world. In particular, this means promoting ‘computational thinking’, a skillset that can be applied to any problem-solving task and includes, more specifically, pattern-spotting and decomposition (see below).

PATTERN-SPOTTING

Spotting patterns is fundamental in early learning, and many aspects of the curriculum depend on children recognising patterns and sequences – for example, getting dressed, growing plants, dance routines, action songs, clapping games and counting.

We therefore need to encourage children to sequence experiences, recreate patterns and make up their own. A wide variety of activities can be used to promote the pattern-spotting skills required for computational thinking and then be extended to incorporate elements of coding. Let’s take dance as an example.

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