The principle of pattern-oriented curriculum and its implementation in a computer science module for high school students

An approach to the teaching and learning of high school computer science (CS) to and by educationally disadvantaged students (EDS) is described. We begin by outlining six pedagogical principles for designing learning environments appropriate for EDS. Then, the implementation of one of these principles is presented. Results from years of using the CS module developed based on these principles in Israeli schools show that at the end of the module, the students master basic programming tools and recognize basic algorithmic patterns. These findings indicate the potential contribution of the approach outlined here for EDS.