Towards a pedagogical framework for teaching programming and object-oriented modelling in secondary education

Because of changes in the field of computer science, the context and content of computer science education at school is continuously evolving. But new topics alone do not lead to concrete and suitable courses. Too often, demands of the practice obscure the underlying theory. Learning theories, didactical knowledge and computer science itself should be heeded in educational practice and the design of learning environments. The transfer of relevant theoretical insights into educational practice is a complex and creative design process in which there are several conditions to be considered and design decisions to be made. In order to facilitate this process, a Pedagogical Framework (PF) is suggested. The goal is to bridge the gap between learning theories, computer science, didactics and the development of concrete courses and learning environments. But learning and teaching processes cannot be fostered with a cooking-recipe, a PF builds a structure that can and must be adapted to individual needs. On the other hand, a PF can be useful as a research tool in an empirically-oriented didactic to foster the development, assessment and evolution of didactical concepts. In this article is presented a PF for teaching programming and object-oriented modelling. The object-oriented paradigm currently has a growing role in secondary education. The twofold aim is to bring secondary education in computer science closer to scientific concepts and in parallel to enhance the contribution to general education.