Computational Thinking

Teaching programming begins with understanding sequence and that simple algorithms produce the same outcome every time it is run. Kidbots and Beebots supports students to understand that a simple algorithm using directional instructions will always produce the same outcome when they start at the same point and have a destination to go to. 

Simple debugging and embracing that debugging is part and parcel of creating a program start with a programmer debugging their code with kidbots. Students work in threes, with a programmer, a tester and a BOT. The programmer writes the program using arrows or any other agreed program language (it could be F = Forward, R = Right, L = Left). The tester takes the program and calls out each step to the BOT. If there is a bug, the tester underlines where the bug is and let's the programmer know there is a bug at that point. Repeat this until the BOT reaches the expected location. Sometimes this may take 3 or 4 attempts and that is what we celebrate, that bugs don't get fixed on the first attempt! A good programmer is a programmer that keeps trying until it is solved.

This same approach works for Beebots as well.