The ComeThinkAgain Project: Playful Computational Thinking in Primary Teacher Education through Game Mechanics
TL;DR
It is suggested that familiar game environments and tactile unplugged activities helped participants reframe CT as a broader problem-solving approach and demonstrated initial transfer through the design of cross-curricular CT lesson activities.
Abstract
The Erasmus+ project "ComeThinkAgain" addresses the growing need to equip future generations with interdisciplinary skills by developing a Certification-based Education Training System (CETS) that integrates Computational Thinking (CT), Entrepreneurship Education (EE), and Green Skills (GS). For CT, a significant challenge in primary education is the training of teachers, who frequently lack a formal computer science background, to confidently teach foundational CT concepts. To address this issue, a 1 ECTS micro-module for CT foundations was developed specifically for primary school teachers, utilising a game-based learning (GBL) and playful approach. This paper presents the pedagogical design and initial pilot results of the course. The course followed a constructionist, hands-on modelling approach aimed at translating abstract computational concepts into tangible and relatable learning experiences. Participants engaged with theoretical reading tasks, analysed familiar games and everyday situations, and explored practical workshop stations involving unplugged, gamified, and tangible activities. These activities were designed to make CT concepts such as decomposition, abstraction, pattern recognition, algorithmic thinking, sequencing, and debugging visible without placing programming at the centre of the learning process. In the final transfer phase, teachers applied these insights by designing their own cross-curricular CT lesson activities. The pilot course was conducted with a cohort of five primary school teachers. The present study collected qualitative feedback from focus group and individual interviews as well as teacher-designed lesson artefacts. The aim was to explore how participants experienced the module, how they conceptualised CT, and whether they were able to transfer CT concepts into their own teaching contexts. The findings suggest that familiar game environments and tactile unplugged activities helped participants reframe CT as a broader problem-solving approach. Participants reported increased awareness of CT in everyday teaching practices and demonstrated initial transfer through the design of cross-curricular lesson activities.