Week 8: Coding and Mathematics Part 2

About

In the Coding and Mathematics sessions, you will learn how the creation of games in Scratch can be linked to the teaching of Mathematics concepts.

The teaching of Mathematics alongside Coding has been an area of great interest since the first educational Coding languages were created in the 1970s. One of the main approaches for combining the teaching of Mathematics and Coding has involved students designing and Coding their own games. An example of a project where students learned Mathematics through game design was Project Headlight, which ran during the late 1980s and early 1990s in a school in Boston, USA. A more recent example of a similar project is Globaloria, which is an organisation that provides online courses that teach about the use of game design to help develop students’ STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) skills.

The session’s activities have been adapted from Unit 4 (Games) of the Creative Computing Curriculum guide. The activities in Unit 4 are intended to encourage students to develop Scratch projects are personally relevant and meaningful to them. The authors of the guide argue that this personal relevance and meaning will help students persevere when they encounter challenging problems when Coding in Scratch.

In the Part 2 session, we will focus on two activities from Unit 4 of the Creative Computing Curriculum guide: Debug It! and Interactions.

Metalanguage

algorithm, computational thinking, computational concept, coding, visual programming, sequences, remixing, events, parallelism, loops, conditionals, broadcasting, variables, data, operators, sensing

Materials

Presentations

Recap of Last Session (Coding and Mathematics Part 1) (PDF Presentation)
Coding and Mathematics 2 (PDF Presentation)
End of Session Presentation (PDF Presentation)

Activities

Creative Computing Unit 4: Games Part 2 (PDF Document)

Extra Activities

If you complete the Creative Computing activities before the end of the session, you may want to try some of the Code Club game projects that are linked below:

Homework

Week 8 Homework Interactions Puzzles (PDF Document)
Week 8 Homework Form Link
Week 8 Homework Task (Word document)

Session Outcomes

Stage 3 NSW Syllabus Outcomes

Science and Technology

Digital Technologies

Outcome	How the Outcome is addressed
ST2-2DP-T: selects and uses materials, tools and equipment to develop solutions for a need or opportunity.	In this session, you will create different programs that combine a variety of materials to address different opportunities and needs. For example, in the Interactions activity you will combine different Sprites and code in when creating projects that solve the different puzzles.
ST3-3DP-T: defines problems, and designs, modifies and follows algorithms to develop solutions	In this session’s activities, you will design, modify and follow algorithms (steps of instructions for a computer to follow) when creating the different Scratch programs.

Mathematics

Working Mathematically

Outcome	How the Outcome is addressed
MA3-1WM: describes and represents mathematical situations in a variety of ways using mathematical terminology and some conventions	In the session’s activities, you will describe and represent a variety of mathematical situations in Scratch, through the creation of games and solving puzzles. For example, one of the Debug It challenges involves using different mathematical terminology and conventions (such as co-ordinate systems).
MA3-2WM: selects and applies appropriate problem-solving strategies, including the use of digital technologies, in undertaking investigations	In the session’s activities, you will have the opportunity to select and apply a variety of problem-solving strategies. For example, in the Interactions activity you will have to investigate different approaches for solving the puzzles, which all involve combining Coding and Mathematics concepts.
MA3-3WM: gives a valid reason for supporting one possible solution over another	In the session’s activities, you will have the opportunity to compare your solutions to the puzzles in the Interactions activity with other participants’ solutions.

Numbers and Algebra

Outcome	How the Outcome is addressed
MA3-4NA: orders, reads and represents integers of any size and describes properties of whole numbers	In this session’s activities, you will have the opportunity to explore the use of whole numbers for a variety of applications. For example, in one of the challenges in the Debug It activity, you will use whole numbers when you choose the number of points that a character is awarded in a game.
MA3-7NA: compares, orders and calculates with fractions, decimals and percentages	In this session’s activities, you will have the opportunity to explore the use of fractions, decimals and percentages when creating the different games. For example, in one of the puzzles in the Interactions activity you have to use percentages to determine when a Sprite is in the top 25% of the screen.
MA3-8NA: analyses and creates geometric and number patterns, constructs and completes number sentences, and locates points on the Cartesian plane	In this session’s activity, you will have the opportunity to create geometrical patterns and locate points on the Cartesian plane. For example, many of the challenges in the Debug It activity involve reasoning about the positions of Sprites on the Cartesian plane.

AITSL Professional Teacher Standards

Standard	How the Standard is addressed
2.6.2: Use effective teaching strategies to integrate ICT into learning and teaching programs to make selected content relevant and meaningful.	In this session, you will learn about different teaching strategies for the integration of ICT (specifically Coding) with Mathematics. The activities in the session, such as the puzzles in the Interactions activity, are encourage learners to create programs that relate to their interests.
3.3.2: Select and use relevant teaching strategies to develop knowledge, skills, problem solving and critical and creative thinking	In this session, you will learn about how game design can be used when teaching Coding. These activities can help learners develop their critical and creative thinking, through the creation of games.
3.4.2: Select and/or create and use a range of resources, including ICT, to engage students in their learning.	In this session, you will learn about different resources for teaching Coding, including ‘unplugged’ methods that can be used when you do not have access to a computer lab.
6.2.2: Participate in learning to update knowledge and practice, targeted to professional needs and school and/or system priorities.	In this session, you will learn about howCoding and Computational Thinking can be taught alongside objectives from the Mathematics syllabus.
6.4.2: Undertake professional learning programs designed to address identified student learning needs.	In this session, you will be introduced to different teaching approaches for the teaching of Coding with Mathematics. For example, when you teach Coding to your students, you may set up Scratch projects that are ‘scaffolded’ to help students who are finding it difficult to create projects from an empty project.

ACARA General Capabilities

Literacy

Literacy Element	How this Element is addressed
Visual knowledge	In the session’s activities, you will apply your visual knowledge when creating games in Scratch. For example, in the Interactions activity you may create your own images to be used as Sprites in the solutions to the puzzles.

Numeracy

Numeracy Element	How this Element is addressed
Estimating and calculating with whole numbers	In the session’s activities, you will have the opportunity to calculate with whole numbers when creating games in Scratch. For example, in some of the challenges in the Debug It activity, you will have to reason about how whole numbers are used when calculating the score in a game.
Recognising and using patterns and relationships	In the session’s activities, you will have the opportunity to recognise and use patterns and relationships in an authentic context (game design and development).
Using fractions, decimals, percentages, ratios and rates	In this session’s activities, you will have the opportunity to explore the use of fractions, decimals and percentages when creating the different games. For example, in one of the puzzles in the Interactions activity you have to use percentages to determine when a Sprite is in the top 25% of the screen.
Using spatial reasoning	In the session’s activities, you will use spatial reasoning when moving Sprites around the Stage in Scratch. For example, in the some of the puzzles in the Interactions activity, you will have to reason about Sprites’ positions on the Stage.

Information and Communication Technology Capability

ICT Capability Element	How this Element is addressed
Applying social and ethical protocols and practices when using ICT	In this session, you will be given the opportunity to learn about the potential ethical issues that can be encountered when creating games in Scratch. For example, when solving puzzles in the Interactions activity, a student may look for sound effects or images to use for Sprites and may need to learn about copyright issues.
Creating with ICT	In this session, you will design, create and modify games (which will be Scratch projects).
Managing and Operating ICT	In this sessions’ activities, you will have the opportunity to use the image editor in Scratch to create different images (both bitmap and vector).

Critical and Creative Thinking

Creative and Creative Thinking Capability Element	How this Element is addressed
Inquiring – identifying, exploring and organising information and ideas	In this session, you will have the opportunity to inquire about how to solve different problems in different ways. For example, when creating projects in Scratch that solve the puzzles in the Interactions activity, you will be able to explore existing solutions that other participants or members of Scratch have already made.
Generating ideas, possibilities and actions	In this session, you will be encouraged to be creative in the activities and to explore a variety of ideas, possibilities and actions when creating the programs for different puzzles in the Interactions activity.
Reflecting on thinking and processes	In this session, you will be encouraged to reflect on how you completed the activity through the reflection prompts from the Creative Computing Curriculum guide. For example, in the Interactions activity there is a question that asks the learner about the strategy that they used for solving the different puzzles.
Analysing, synthesising and evaluating reasoning and procedures	In this session, you will have the opportunity to analyse, synthesis and evaluate your own reasoning and procedures. For example, in the Interactions activity you will be able to plan out different ways of solving the puzzles and then reflect on how this planning helped you create the solution in Scratch.

Stage 3 ACARA Digital Technologies Content Descriptors

Content Descriptor	How the Descriptor is addressed
ACTDIP018: Design a user interface for a digital system	In this session’s activities, you will have the opportunity to design and develop a user interface for the projects you create that solve the puzzles in the Interactions activity.
ACTDIP019: Design, modify and follow simple algorithms involving sequences of steps, branching, and iteration (repetition)	In this session’s activities, you will design, modify and follow algorithms (steps of instructions for a computer to follow).
ACTDIP020: Implement digital solutions as simple visual programs involving branching, iteration (repetition), and user input	In this session, you will implement a program in Scratch, a visual programming language, that includes loops (iteration), branching, events and user input.
ACTDIP022: Plan, create and communicate ideas and information, including collaboratively online, applying agreed ethical, social and technical protocols	In this session, you will collaborate with other participants in the session to solve the puzzles in Scratch. You will also learn about some of the potential ethical and copyright issues when using images and sounds that have been created by other people.