Computational Thinking and the Curriculum of Mathematics in Portugal
The emphasis on the importance of programming and computational thinking has been a constant in recent pedagogical trends (Wing, 2006, 2010; NRC, 2011). In the same perspective Pollock et al. (2019) characterize computational thinking as decomposition, algorithms, data and abstraction. According to Selby & Woolard (2013) and Tabesh (2017), computational thinking, in addition to being associated with decomposition, pattern recognition, algorithms and abstraction, identifies the importance of debugging, that is, the ability to test and evaluate the effectiveness of the solution , correct errors and seek to refine and optimize the solution. This was the framework that was taken into account for the start of the MatemaTIC pilot project, promoted by the Directorate-General for Education (DGE), with the joint organization of the Association of Mathematics Teachers (APM), University of Coimbra (UC) and of the CCTIC of the University of Évora (CCTIC UE). This project, started in 2019, involved teachers of the 1st Cycle of Basic Education from 30 Groups of Schools in Portugal and its main objective was to create resources and training contexts for teachers of this level of education, to support the development of their skills. professional skills in the fields of mathematics and ICT, so that they are able to work on issues of computational thinking, algorithms and computing, in the classroom, with students. The final considerations point to the importance of the theme in the awareness of the learning that they intend to consolidate in the students; the importance of the contents to be developed; in the process of supporting students with gradually more complex tasks, helping to build reasoning and develop mathematical language; the importance of generalizing and transferring the problem-solving process to a wide variety of similar tasks; the importance of collaborative work; in the active role of the student in the construction of knowledge; and in the importance of involving the student in the evaluation process in the sense of self-assessment and self-correction.
