Introduction to Computational Thinking Hi cool friends, guess what Computational Thinking means? Does anyone have sharp eyes and spot the word computational here? Hm… so maybe it has something to do with computers? Yes, it is true! Thumbs up for those of you who guessed correctly. Computational Thinking is a thinking process to solve problems effectively and efficiently. In computer science, this thinking process is done before starting to write coding or programming. If it is well planned, the coding written will be according to the needs and can be completed quickly and accurately. But it turns out that computational thinking can also be done without a computer and without the internet. In fact, we have already applied it in our daily lives. Starting from brushing your teeth, taking notes on lesson summaries, to preparing your bag for school tomorrow. Wow, if we can apply it every day, that means we are all experts, right? Hey, not necessarily. The examples above apply computational thinking to simple problems. There are still many more complex problems, such as managing monthly finances, what to do if you get lost in a new place, and choosing a major and career. Then, more importantly, when you grow up, you will face the era of Industry 4.0 and even 5.0. Here you need the skills to utilize the digital world, starting from searching and sorting the information you need, to using that information to make important decisions in your life. Facing the complex problems of life in the present and future is similar to planning the coding that was discussed previously. The key is to understand the problem thoroughly and find an effective and efficient way to solve it. So, then, how can we think computationally? Now let's discuss the four foundations of computational thinking. The first is decomposition. Decomposition means dividing a complex problem into smaller parts to make it easier to solve. For example, you are appointed as the head of the August 17th competition committee. So to make the implementation easier, you can appoint a committee for the event, catering, publication, security, and other sections. Second, pattern recognition. That is, looking for similarities and patterns among the parts of a complex problem that have been broken down. For example, you want to fold and store the clothesline at home. So you need to be able to recognize the clothesline belonging to your father, mother, you, your younger sibling, and shared belongings such as bed sheets, towels, and others. This is because the clotheslines need to be stored in different places. The third is abstraction. This means focusing on important information only, ignoring unnecessary details. For example, you want to tell about your experience of traveling outside the city. Of course you experienced many things, from leaving on the bus, taking photos together, eating at a restaurant, staying at a hotel, to the journey home. But it's impossible for you to tell your friends everything that happened in detail, they'll definitely get bored if it takes too long! So you have to filter out only a few interesting events to tell your friends. Lastly, the algorithm. That is, creating steps to solve the problem or creating rules to follow to solve the problem. For example, your mother gives you a shopping list at the supermarket. There is cooking oil, eggs, bread, vegetables, coffee. Then you have to hurry because mom is going to cook with that cooking oil. Well, if it's like this, one efficient way is to start by taking the item closest to the entrance and then the one closest to the cashier. So, those are the four foundations of computational thinking that need to be applied to solve complex problems. So next, is there a way to hone computational thinking skills? Of course there is! Besides being able to try applying it to your everyday problems, you can also practice questions to hone your skills. For example, your teacher will give you Computational Thinking questions in mathematics, Indonesian, and science in the Independent Curriculum. In addition, you can also join the Bebras Indonesia Challenge. Let's try to look at an example of a Computational Thinking question! In the study tour bus, there are three groups of children who will be taken to three different destinations. The bus stops first at a restaurant, then a hotel, and finally at a museum. There is only one luggage storage area on the side of the bus, which can only be opened from one door. The bus driver wanted to arrange the passengers' suitcases so that they could be easily removed. Help the bus driver determine the order in which to put the suitcases into the storage area. Question: Which group of children's suitcases were put in last? a. Children who want to go to the museum b. The child who wants to go to the restaurant c. Children who want to go to the hotel d. Any of them can be adapted from challenge.bebras.org If you know, try to answer in the comments column!