Conclusion
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Integrating Visual Learning into Computer Studies - ConclusionConclusion > Action Steps > Integrating Visual Learning into Computer StudiesAlice is a programme designed to allow teachers a visual method of teaching programming , a good example of integrating visual learning in the curriculum. This type of visual learning has not only made students more interested in the subject, but also let students learn the fundamental programming concepts clearly. This can be seen from the statistics: “Without Alice, at risk CS1(Computer Science for Year 1) students average a C grade and only 47 per cent go on to take CS2(Computer Science for Year 2). With Alice, at risk CS1 students average a B grade and 88 percent go on to take CS2.”[1] Other research studies also show that the group taught using Alice performed much better than other groups. Raffles Institution, Singapore has integrated Alice in the Computer Studies curriculum starting this year (2009), seeing the effectiveness of visual learning. A video of a lesson on teaching conditionals using Alice can be opened from the link below. However, it may take a while to load (File size: 11MB). We can see from the video that conditionals are taught more visually. For example, a person can see the results of the conditionals more visually and clearly. Secondly, the code is easier to understand since they are visually grouped together and we can thus see and better understand the effects of each code, especially when the code is more complex.  Figure 1: Using C++ as a tool to teach programming Click here to return to action steps. |