The purpose of the master's thesis is to offer educators and students a model of teaching computer science, based on the creation of games and stories about Heidi and supported by embodied learning. Experiential learning through computer content embedded in stories and games develops knowledge and skills that are key to inclusion in 21st century society. In addition to computational thinking and programming concepts, the creation of games and stories also develops the 4C competencies: creativity, communication, critical thinking and collaboration.
We tested the model in a five-day workshop Adventure with Heidi: Saving the Planet with a small group of students in the second educational period. The work took place in two phases: the participants first learned about programming concepts with KUBO robots, and then transferred the acquired knowledge to the Scratch programming environment. The content was related to the novel Heidi by Johanna Spyri and included topics of sustainable development and environmental protection. Progress was monitored with observation forms and self-reflection questionnaires, and final projects were assessed using rubric criteria and analyzed using the Dr. Scratch tool.
In the theoretical part, we discuss 21st century skills with an emphasis on the 4C framework, computational thinking and its dimensions. We present Papert's constructionism as the central learning theory, and we base the work with KUBO on embodied learning and tangible computing. We also present KUBO and Scratch, as well as learning through game design and digital storytelling.
In the empirical part, we present and analyze the results of a five-day workshop with 13 students aged between 9 and 12. Their knowledge was assessed with a pre-test and a post-test, and the final projects were evaluated using criterion-based assessment and analyzed using the Dr. Scratch tool from the perspective of the dimensions of computational thinking.
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