But why it is important to encourage students
explore the area of STEM? Interestingly, there is a
growing demand for employees in STEM occupations
who can efficiently deal with emerging problems
using analytical thinking skills, technology,
mathematics, and science. Educational requirements
and credentials for STEM occupations may vary
given the position and the nature of the job but all
require the ability to think logically and critically and
to deal with problems creatively [6] [7]. On the other
hand, the cultivation of these skills encourages
students to reflect upon their own way of thinking and
to develop themselves as critical thinkers; such a capacity is useful in non STEM areas as well [8].
These concerns and facts bring into focus the
need to develop training resources and interventions
that can prepare teachers, students, and practitioners
in exploring the area of science, technology,
engineering, mathematics (STEM) in a meaningful
way [7]. cMinds builds on this idea and aims at
providing the educational community with free
learning tools, teaching and learning resources, and
facilities for collaboration towards computational and
analytical thinking and problem-solving practices
early in primary school student’s life. The cultivation
of these skills is important and can motivate and
prepare students to explore with success the area of
STEM, to develop themselves as critical thinkers, and
to increase possibilities for perspective hiring.
In the next section, the practice of
‘programming’ is discussed from a pedagogical point
of view. This is done for two reasons: First,
‘programming’ is a well-known tool closely related to
the area of STEM. Second, programming can be seen
as a mean for fostering computational and critical
thinking early in young learners’ life. The third
section focuses on the cMinds methodology. The
cMinds activities design and the developed cMinds
Learning Suite are brought into focus in the fourth
and fifth section. The paper concludes with a
discussion on the results derived from all the
validation sites.