Unplugged Computing as a Methodology for Teaching Computing in the Final Years of Elementary School

Abstract

The teaching of Computing is relevant for the development of skills in basic education students, as established by the National Common Curricular Base (BNCC) Computing. To ensure this teaching occurs even without hardware and software infrastructure in public schools, a non-onerous strategy is necessary. From this circumstance arises Unplugged Computing, a methodology that enables inclusive computing education, especially in schools lacking digital technologies. As an attempt to promote and disseminate the use of this teaching methodology, this article presents an experience report in the format of workshops with Unplugged Computing activities emphasizing concepts and practices related to Computational Thinking. The workshops were carried out in a municipal public school in the State of Bahia. The results of the workshops showed that final-year elementary education students are capable of learning computing concepts and practices through the Unplugged Computing methodology, revealing that this methodology, in addition to being efficient, is capable of being replicated in other formal teaching contexts, because it does not demand expensive resources and has high student acceptance. Although some BNCC skills demand the explicit use of programming languages, the results of this study show that the unplugged approach constitutes an effective pedagogical strategy for the initial conceptual development of BNCC skills, especially in school contexts with limitations of technological infrastructure, contributing to the democratization of computing education and to the formation of solid foundations for subsequent learning with the use of electronic devices or computers.