karel the robot teaches critical thinking

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Karel the Robot

Teaches Critical

Thinking


Karel the Robot

Teaches Critical Thinking

Compiled by: Debbie Clingingsmith Email: [email protected] Last revised: 1/26/2008 Description: Using the Karel J Robot simulator to

teach critical thinking skills Download Slides: slideshare.net/dlclingingsmith


What is a critical thinking?Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.

Defining Critical Thinking: A statement by Michael Scriven & Richard Paul for the National Council for Excellence in Critical Thinking Instruction, Critical Thinking Foundation, downloaded 1-23-2008 from http://www.criticalthinking.org/aboutCT/define_critical_thinking.cfm


What Karel J Robot?Karel is an educational programming language for absolute beginners, created by Richard E. Pattis in his book “Karel The Robot: A Gentle Introduction to the Art of Programming.” Pattis used the language in his courses at Stanford University. The language is named after Karel Čapek, a Czech writer who introduced the word robot.

Karel (programming language), Wikipedia, downloaded 1-23-2008 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karel_(programming_language)


For teachers, Karel J Robot

is: A simulator

Karel lives in a simple world of streets and avenues Free to download

PC/MAC available at http://pclc.pace.edu/~bergin/KarelJava2ed/karelexperimental.html

or http://www.wiley.com/college/pattis/0471597252/instructor/instructor.html#pc Palm OS available at

http://handheld.softpedia.com/get/Educational/Tutorial/Karel-the-Robot-6753.shtml

Several versions, suggested version is Karel J Robot which uses Java Available for MAC, PC, or Palm OS

Easy to learn and use Karel may perform five different activities May create new activities oneself Karel knows about conditions in the environment

Fun to run Provides immediate feedback Middle and high school students enjoy Karel


Karel J Robot's World


Program tab (Pascal)


Program tab (Java)


Execute tab


What may Karel do move

turnleft

pickbeeper

putbeeper

turnoff


What Karel may know

Whether a direction is blocked or clear frontIsBlocked leftIsBlocked RightIsBlocked

Direction faced facingNorth facingSouth facingEast facingWest

Whether beepers are nearby or in the bag anyBeepersInBeeperBag nextToABeeper

frontIsClear leftIsClear rightIsClear

noBeepersInBeeperBag notNextToABeeper

notFacingNorth notFacingSouth notFacingEast notFacingWest


How may Karel decideControl statements

if Example: if (frontIsBlocked) {turnleft();}

whileExample: while (frontIsBlocked) {turnleft();}

iterateExample: iterate(3) {turnleft();}

if with elseExample: if (frontIsBlocked) {turnleft();}

else {move()};•Format: command ( condition to meet ) { what to do }


Creating new Karel

activitiesdefine

Use with braces above and below the instructions included in the newly defined command

A defined command may be used in another defined command. However, it must be defined previous to its use (physically, it must be above where it is used in a new define).

Example: creating a right turn define turnright() {

turnleft();turnleft();turnleft();

}

Example of use: if (frontIsBlocked) {turnright()};


How to Use Karel

1) Make or open a Karel world* When Karel starts, it is in the world tab* Create walls by left clicking between two adjacent blocks* Place beepers if you wish* Save your world

2) Create or open a program* Left click the Program tab* Choose Pacal or Java, then click the New button* Write your program, then click the Compile button* Save your program

3) Run your program* Left click the Execute tab * Click the Initialize button* Click the Run button. Increase speed by increasing the

Steps/Min number.


Karel Resources

• Otterbein college* Karel the Robot tutorial online in Pascal* URL:

http://math.otterbein.edu/home/JKarelRobot/ParelTutorial/Karel.htm* Place beepers if you wish* Save your world

• David Wittry web site* URL: http://www.apcomputerscience.com/karel/index.htm* Movie demos of Karel running* First edition of Karel J Robt: An Introduction to the Gentle Art

of Object Oriented Programming in Java available free and online.


Karel Exercises

• Atlantic City High School* “Karel the Robot Introductory Role Play Classroom Activity”

paper by Joseph A. Tosh* URL:

http://pclc.pace.edu/~bergin/KarelJava2ed/KarelRolePlay.html

• JR Masterman School* URL:

http://geom.teachopensource.org/apcs/resources/resources_files/lecturek1-2007.pdf

* Slide set and a paper exercise.

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