Teaching quadratic functions using the pillars of computational thinking in high school

Abstract

This article aims to describe the results obtained in the master's thesis on the use of computational thinking in teaching quadratic functions to high school students at a private school. The research process took place between 2021 and 2023, from the perspective of Information, Communication and Interaction Technologies, applied to Science and Mathematics Teaching and had the general objective of developing a didactic sequence for learning the relationships between two variable quantities depending on 2nd grade, based on the use of computer programming with 1st grade high school students. The research was guided by the following research problem - how does the use of Computational Thinking contribute to understanding the relationships between two variable quantities present in the study of 2nd grade functions, for 1st grade high school students? To obtain the results, a reference survey was carried out to develop the theoretical foundation. For the methodological development, it was based on Constructionism. This choice arises from the ability of this approach to expand the potential of the computer as an educational tool, especially through the use of block programming. Regarding research methodology, qualitative approaches prevail, using techniques such as observations, records and logbooks, establishing themselves as effective tools for data collection. The results obtained with the implementation of the educational product, as well as the evaluation of the proposed analysis categories, indicate a notable improvement in the level of student engagement. Additionally, the effectiveness of using techniques associated with the Pillars of Computational Thinking to solve problems can be seen..