Computational thinking (CT) is often framed narrowly as a precursor to coding with decomposition pattern recognition abstraction and algorithmic design taught in service of computer science. This talk argues for a broader view where CT serves as a transferable metacognitive practice that helps students notice name and regulate their own thinking across any subject. Drawing on classroom-based research I’ll share how the core CT practices (such as, decomposition, debugging) supports teachers to explicitly engage students in metacognitive practices. With AI literacy now a pressing concern CT-as-metacognition may be one of the few durable reasons left to teach it explicitly. I’ll close with practical implications for K–12 curriculum design and teacher professional development.

In this keynote, I will introduce a simple way to help frame how we think about the ways AI tools and AI technology might be used in our teaching practice. I will share some related emerging research themes, including FATPS, SEAME, Computational Thinking 2.0, anthropomorphisation, and interaction and feedback literacy. Here are some new acronyms and terms to get to know. Let’s discuss and consider what they mean for teaching and learning.

Dr. Aman Yadav is the Lappan-Phillips Professor of Computing Education in the College of Education and College of Natural Science at Michigan State University with extensive experience in research, evaluation, and teacher professional development. His research and teaching focus on supporting educators to understand, apply, and critically evaluate the use of computing and artificial intelligence in K-12 classrooms. He leads projects that design, implement, and assess how professional learning experiences can support teachers to bring computational tools and practices to support their disciplinary teaching. His co-edited book, Computational Thinking in Education: A Pedagogical Perspective tackles how to integrate computational thinking, coding, and subject matter in relevant and meaningful ways. His work has been published in several leading journals, including Communications of the ACM, Journal of Computers in Education, Education and Information Technologies, and ACM Transactions on Computing Education