The document discusses Italy's efforts to introduce coding and computational thinking into schools. It outlines a six step strategy that begins with using robots like Bee-Bot in early primary school and progresses to using block-based programming with Scratch and text-based languages. Teachers have found that coding helps students develop problem-solving skills. Several programs are mentioned that provide games and activities to teach coding concepts in a fun way.

1. ”
Teaching Method and Flexible Tools
COMPARATIVE STUDY
Italy
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This
publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be
held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained
therein.

2. ”
Comparative studies: description of the current
situation in Italy
Basic Information
European commission had declared that it must be necessary,
“improving the literacy, skills and the inclusion to digital”. The first
step in this “route” followed by the ministry of instruction consists
with the law number 107, “the develop of the students digital skill,
in particular to the computational thinking, is the critical and aware
use of social networks”.
Europe committed Italy the coordination of the European initiative of
the “Europe code week” through the Emma’s platform.
We are managing local and national events, we will organize
international work-shop and we are launching important institutional
initatives for schools and students.
The difficult is to give compatible the new coding that Italian
Government seems intent to introduce in the school following the
example of the European nations (GB and France), and the
organizational difficulties of the school itself.
The digital world, if not lived with awareness, could be very risky, in
front of the important resources that they offer for the study, the
information and the playtime.
It takes the students have the instruments to get the potentialities
of digital world.
People is crazy for coding, the art to learn and to play the rudiments
of computer language.

3. ”
“When students learn coding mean they think in algorithmic mode,
or rather they find a resolution and they develop it”.. says
Alessandro Bogliolo from the University of Urbino, coding gives to
children a “forma mentis” that will allow them to face complex
problems when they grow up, so that, coding is teaching in early age.
Bogliolo says, more than 5 thousand teachers do the coding a “mass
phenomenon” and they gave birth to a large community of on-line
learning called “coding in your classroom”.
Augusto Chioccariello, researcher of the Genova CNR, about one year
ago, said that computational thinking asks for a deep change of the
teaching: from trasmissive to laboterial.
S. Papert, the father of computational logic, soustained that learning
and programming concretely can’t do without of obstructionistic
dynamics, operatives and workshops.
The coding experimentation, in Italy, goes on patchy, mostly thanks
to the teachers enthusiasm and obstinacy.
Last year the activities promoted by the Ministry of instruction have
interested 304.761 students with 2.066 institutes.
In the curriculum of the primary school must entry, in the group of
essential cognitive achievements for the students that end the
primary school, the concepts of SEQUENCE-ITERATION-PARAMETER-
VARIABLE.
This would avoid the risk of running behind the technology
developments loosing the cognitive development objectives of
children and boys.
For years the school has prevailed a logical training “learning to use
mind”.

4. ”
The basic idea is that some connective goals related to COMPUTER
SCIENCE is an inalienable cultural heritage on the third millennium.
So the CODING must serve to the study of other disciplines , by
means of a transverse use as a tool : a tool for learning.
Stathistic says that the approach is multidisciplinary : Italian
language (28%) Science (22%)
History (12%) and Art (60%).
The Technology not only as a tool, but as an object of study in order
to understand how they are made various digital DEVICES. Coding
can become a pillar on the road of the new literacy is not enough
enthusiasm for teachers and pupils.
It is necessary that becomes the subject of study. The government
presented a plan of 1bilion euro , to be achieved in 2020, earth
modern harry schools with the goal of making more digital train
teachers and introduce programming in classroom. So that CODING
IS YES A GAME BUT it IS VERY VERY SERIOUS.
_____________________

5. ”
STRATEGIES
FIRST STEP:
Nursey school and the first cycle of primary school
approaches robotics with children through GAMES,
discovering that with them you can learn to share,
collaborate and put into action creativity.
The children experiment with and familiarise themselves
with BEE-BOT.
SECOND STEP
Psychomotor activity: understanding the positions of the
body in space, learning to follow verbal instructions related
in movements to carry out to then transfer it all to the use
of the computer.
THIRD STEP:

6. ”
CODING UNPLUGGED, That is paper, pen and traditional
board to become confident with computer language.
FOURTH STEP LEARN TO PROGRAMME WITHOUT A
COMPUTER
Here we teach to think. Children are given an authentic
problem to solve
and they assimilate complex concepts with algorithms and
flow diagrams.
From the chalk for the blackboard to coloured pencils, to
the PC keyboard to the touch screen of mobile devices.
All technology is educational.
FIFTH STEP:
“THE LABYRINTH” – CODE.ORG: American project
Supported by Apple, Google e Facebook, Born with the
objective of giving school students the opportunity to learn
computer science.
“PROGRAMME THE FUTURE” – MIUR PLATFORM
BLOCKLY GAMES – the students must build mini-
programmes, choosing and placing the learning blocks.
TYNKER GAMES – The children approach the basic concepts
of coding through the creation of animation, games and
interactive cards.

7. ”
SIXTH STEP:
PROGRAMME WITH SCRATCH, following these steps:
STORY TO BIVI
STEP 1 - structure of a story: introduction to
scratch for the part of the use of background
characters (movement), audio.
STEP 2 – elaboration of the story: characters,
development of the plot, settings, different endings.
STEP 3 – creation of the story with Scratch

8. ”
Examination with questionnaires on the use of
innovative tools on computational thinking and
coding
QUESTIONNAIRE TO TEACHERS WHO HAVE
USED THE CODING
When schools partecipated in the development of the code, how would you
iudge the involvment of the following actors?
Very
important
Important
Not very
important
Not
important
at all
Headteacher 5
School
board
5
teachers 5
parents 4 1
students 5

9. ”
Very important
Headteacher
School board
teachers
parents
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
Very important
Important
Not very important
Not important at all

10. ”
Searching and sharing of good practices
Primary education; First stage of basic
Education
1
NAME of the PROGRAM/PROJECT
Programma il futuro
RESPONSIBLE INSTITUTION
MIUR - Istruzione - Italia/CINI
PARTNERS Teachers, parents, kids, teenagers
SHORT DESCRIPTION:
The site provides schools with simple games, fun and accessible to train
students to computer science concepts through programmin "coding"
WEBSITE
http://www.programmailfuturo.it/
CONTACTS FOR INFORMATION
@programmaFuturo

11. ”
2
NAME of the PROGRAM/PROJECT
Scratch
RESPONSIBLE INSTITUTION
Lifelong Kindergarten Group of Media Lab of MIT
PARTNERS
Classroom teachers, parents, kids, teenagers
SHORT DESCRIPTION:
Scratch is designed with learning and education in mind. A wide variety of
educators have been supporting Scratch creators since 2007, in both formal
and informal learning enviroments.
Launched in July 2009, ScratchEd is on online community where Scratch
educators share stories, exchange resources, ask questions and find people
WEBSITE
https://scratch.mit.edu/
CONTACTS FOR INFORMATION
Cambridge, MA 02139
Tel: (617) 253-9783

12. ”
3
NAME of the PROGRAM/PROJECT
Tynker games
RESPONSIBLE INSTITUTION
Tynker for schools Premium App
PARTNERS
Classroom teachers, parents, kids, teenagers
SHORT DESCRIPTION:
TYNKER IS A CREATIVE COMPUTING PLATFORM WHERE MILLIONS OF
KIDS HAVE LEARNED TO PROGRAM AND BUILT GAMES, APPS AND MORE.
TYNKER OFFERS SELF-PACED ONLINE COURSES FOR CHILDREN TO
LEARN CODING AT HOME, AS WELL AS AN ENGAGING PROGRAMMING
CURRICULUM FOR SCHOOLS.
WEBSITE
https://www.tynker.com/hour-of-code/
CONTACTS FOR INFORMATION
Tynker Address
480 San Antonio Road #100
Mountain View, CA 94040

13. ”
4
NAME of the PROGRAM/PROJECT
Blocky games
RESPONSIBLE INSTITUTION
GITHUB - codecademy
PARTNERS
Classroom teachers, parents, kids, teenagers
SHORT DESCRIPTION:
Blockly Games is a Google project to encourage tomorrow's
programmers.Blockly Games is a series of educational games that
teach programming. It is designed for children who have not had
prior experience with computer programming. By the end of these
games, players are ready to use conventional text-based languages
WEBSITE
https://blockly-games.appspot.com/
CONTACTS FOR INFORMATION
GITHUB with @google

14. ”
5
NAME of the PROGRAM/PROJECT
BEE BOT
RESPONSIBLE INSTITUTION
Terrapin software - Massachusetts
PARTNERS
Classroom teachers, parents, kids, teenagers
SHORT DESCRIPTION:
Bee Bot is exciting new robot designed for use by young children. This
colorful, easy to operate and friendly little robot is a tool for teaching
sequencing, exstimation, problem solving, and just having fan. Directional
keys used to enter up to 40 commands wich send Bee Bot forward, back, left
and right.
WEBSITE
https://www.bee-bot.us/
CONTACTS FOR INFORMATION
http://www.campustore.it/contatti/
info@terrapinlogo.com