ISTE Standard for Students #4 is “Innovative Designer: Students use a variety of technologies within a design process to identify and solve problems by creating new, useful or imaginative solutions.” There are four indicators listed under this standard and the first indicator reads: Students know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts or solving authentic problems. (ISTE, 2016).
Jorge Valenzuela wrote a article published on the ISTE website called “Teaching Kids Computer Science Through Design and Inquiry” and he believes, “to be a proficient coder, it’s critical to learn how to develop a product, not just write code.” Valenzuela lays out 4 steps for educators to consider when attempting to approach code through a design and inquiry perspective. Step 1: learn the skills and the tools, Step 2: start with computational thinking, algorithmic thinking and design, Step 3: introduce new knowledge and skills through inquiry and design, and Step 4: incorporate reflection into work with your students (Valenzuela, 2017).