Analogical reasoning is considered to be a critical cognitive skill in programming. However, it has been rarely studied in a block-based programming context, especially involving both virtual and physical objects. In this multi-case study, we examined how novice programming learners majoring in early childhood education used analogical reasoning…

This article is a review of the pedagogical experience obtained with systems for algorithmic animation. Algorithms consist of a sequence of operations whose effect on data structures can be visualized using a computer. Students learn algorithms by stepping the animation through the different individual operations, possibly reversing their effect.…

Reports descriptive analyses of production data gathered from experienced instructional developers who used a commercial authoring package and supplemental coding over a one-year period to produce three separate instructional lessons on thinking skills as part of a larger commercial educational product. (Author/LRW)