In this sense, Simulation Creation toolkit provides an initial data point into the integration of Computational Thinking activities through simulation construction in the classroom environment. Initial data shows that students in the classroom can implement simulations faster using the Simulation Creation Toolkit as compared to the end-user programming level and begins to show that students can use the Simulation Creation Toolkit to create simulations through analogical reasoning. This approach obviates the need for students to implement low level and often time-consuming agent behavior programming and yet, requires the use of abstraction, which is a key component of computational thinking. Students create agent-based simulations via analogy between the real world phenomena they are trying to represent and “interacticons,” which are visual animations of generic agents enacting the phenomena. The Simulation Creation Toolkit is a high level pattern-based phenomenological approach to bringing rapid simulation creation into the classroom environment. This paper describes a new visual programming tool entitled the Simulation Creation Toolkit. Simulation and modeling activities, a key point of computational thinking, are currently not being integrated into the science classroom. © 2016, Association for Educational Communications & Technology. The GDL program can serve as an example for efforts aiming to create similar technology-rich environments. This paper provides a detailed account of how a complex network of pedagogies, theories, and technologies were brought together to design and develop the Game Design and Learning (GDL) program, with the purpose of teaching students basics of computer programming, and to give them hands-on experiences in game-design, and teach them complex problem-solving skills. Despite the increasing interest from educators and researchers to use game-design as a platform to teach young students higher-order thinking skills, literature documenting design and development of such learning experiences has been scarce.

Although creating engaging and authentic design contexts for young children is difficult within the confines of traditional schooling, recently, game-design has emerged as an alternative context to provide young children with opportunities to practice design and thinking skills. Design tasks are consequently, appropriate contexts for children to exercise higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills.

Design involves solving complex, ill-structured problems.

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