Let us play detective games at computer lessons

Abstract

Research goals: to spot a feasibility of using of detective novels and detective series plots to pupil’s motivation for informatics learning activity and informatics software which coincide with plots of the famous detective novels and detective series in terms of content. Research objectives: to estimate an interest in detective series and crime reports of pupils in a primary and secondary comprehensive school; to estimate the topics / goals of school course in informatics which coincide with the activity of detectives in movies; to estimate software for such tasks. Object of research: teaching of informatics to pupils in grade from 3 to 11 of secondary comprehensive schools. Subject of research: software usage for informatics learning to pupils in a primary and secondary comprehensive school. Research methods used: theoretical (analysis of the psychological and pedagogical literature), sociological (questionnaires), mathematical (records), diagnostic assessment (analysis of pupils` educational outcome). Results of the research. The usage practicability of the famous detective novels plots has been estimated to motivate pupils for informatics learning activity on the basis of statistics data. The programs and books on informatics for pupils in grade from 3 to 11 of secondary general schools have been analyzed. The informatics tasks which coincide with the activity of detectives in movies plots have been detected. The software for such tasks has been estimated. The main conclusions and recommendations: 1) the usage of famous detective novels and detective series plots increases the interest in informatics and motivates learning activity of pupils in a primary and secondary comprehensive school; 2) it is very helpful to use specific software for some informatics tasks together with the software recommended in the informatics books for pupils in a primary and secondary comprehensive school.