1. Motivation and activation methods of teaching algorithms
Ľubomír ŠNAJDER
17th -23rd of May 2009, LLP-Erasmus, TU Radom

2. Content Overview of activation methods Discussion Project method
Brainstorming
Mind-mapping
Black-box method
Role playing, case studies, dramatization and simulations
Didactical games
Informatics humour, quasi-scientific stories/lectures
Discussion

3. Project method Pupils are active, teacher is a facilitator of learning
Orientation to product, usability it in life, motivation
Originality, authentical data (critical thinking)
Responsibility and independence of pupils
Development of information skills (experience with whole life cycle of information processing)
Development of communication (language) and social competence (tolerance, team working)
Interdisciplinary aspects (Math, Physics, ICT, English etc.)
Internet projects (using internet and other ICT for project creation)

4. Project method (2) Examples:
Family budget (receipts and expenditures – buying food)
Occupative/personal web page of pupil
Virtual walk in school
Virtual gallery of pupils’ drawings
School journal
Book for mothers (on the occasion of Mothers day)
Portfolio with assessed projects (in the end of pupil’s study – DVD with pupil work – drawing, documents, programs, presentations, web pages)

5. Brainstorming Team generating new ideas for solving a problem
Main brainstorming rules:
Focus on quantity (enhancing divergent production, quantity breeds quality)
Withhold criticism (grateful atmosphere, equity of all participants)
Welcome unusual ideas (looking from new perspective)
Combine and improve ideas (good ideas can brings a better idea)
Brainstorming team – moderator, reporter, members
Examples:
Design of personal web page content
Design of rules for computer laboratory working
How should computer laboratory look like?

6. Mind-mapping
Recording ideas and connections among them in the form of diagrams
Examples:
Principle of functioning of given internet service
Content of pupil’s occupative/personal webpage
Hardware peripheries (Freemind)

7. Black-box method
a system whose structure is unknown for us, we can just manipulate with input and receive output from an unknown system
We can predicate, verify hypothesis about internal structure and definitely formulate hypothesis and reveal black-box
Examples: x y 1 2 3 5 20 6 9 15 4 13 10 12 17

8. Black-box method – examplesy
MAMKA 5 2
AKMAM
ZUZIČKA 7 1 3
AKČIZUZ
OCKO 4
OKCO x y
ANNA 1
DYNO
EZOP
SPARTA
TRAPSA
MADAM
ONO
POP
POLITIKA
KOTILIPA
FERI
ANA
BOB
MARTINA
NATRIMA

9. Black-box method – examples (2)y 4 3 6 5 8 x y
hint
BRATISLAVA 3 10
NITRA 5
KOMÁRNO 2 7
KOŠICE 6

10. Role playing, case studies, dramatization and simulations
Examples
Hotline for customer – solving problem with broken internet connection
Unpleasant story with home computer attack. How to avoid it? Software protection, rules of using internet.
Dramatization of solving problem with wolf, goat, cabbage
Routing packets through net (sending paper message to schoolmate)
Walking like a robot, drawing like a turtle
Simulation of counting, searching, sorting algorithms

11. Didactical games online game lightbot pexeso crossword tricks
guessing a card (ternary number system)
guessing a change in a yellow-blue matrix (checksum)
guess what I am (statement REPEAT)
team quiz about internet basic notions

12. Informatics humour, quasi-scientific stories/lectures
Examples:
Fairy tale about three pigs using various computers (instead living in various houses)
Description of a computer from stone age
Introducing new programming language for schoolmates (e.g. sit down, stand up, speak, come to the blackboard)
New invention in mathematics/information technology during this crisis period (e.g. reduced Pythagoras theorem, biangle)
Proof that ternary numerical system is best than binary one
Proof that TEACHER=PUPILS =

13. Discussion Do you like any activation method? Which one?
Have you ever used any activation method in your teaching informatics/mathematics? Describe your experience and recommendation how to use given activation method in informatics/mathematics education.
In which stage of cognitive process of pupils is suitable to use activation methods?
What are pros and cons of activation methods?
Have you understood any informatics/mathematics notion/principle during our workshop?

14. Thanks for your attention
RNDr. Ľubomír ŠNAJDER, PhD. Pavol Jozef Šafárik University in Košice Faculty of Science Institute of Computer Science Section of Didactics Informatics and Assistive Technologies
Jesenná 5, Košice, Slovak Republic
GPS: 48° 43' 44.78" N, 21° 14' 50.83" E
Tel: (my office), (our secretary)