Computational Thinking in the History Classroom

The ISTE Standards for Students call for students to become Computational Thinkers: "Students develop and employ strategies for understanding and solving problems in ways that leverage the power of technological methods to develop and test solutions."

While computational thinking is often associated with subjects like computer science and math, it can also be effectively integrated into other subjects, including history. In fact, historical research and analysis often involve many of the same skills and strategies as computational thinking, such as collecting and analyzing data, identifying patterns and relationships, and communicating findings to others.

Students can develop and test hypotheses about historical patterns using data and evidence to support their claims, and to think critically about the implications of their findings. Students can use tools such as databases, spreadsheets, and visualization software to collect and analyze data and communicate conclusions.

A recent podcast from Visions of Education digs deeper into computational thinking in the history classroom, featuring Meghan Manfra, Tom Hammond, and Robert Coven about their research findings published in Volume 50- Issue 2 of Theory & Research in Social Education, “ Assessing computational thinking in the social studies.”