Algorithms in Art and Code: How Teaching Embodied Artmaking Procedures Can Stimulate Analytical Thinking in Art Crafting and Computer Programming

Abstract

People have pointed to a connection between the creative arts and computing. In the present longitudinal pilot study we taught six programmers and six non-programmers how to read and write written crochet patterns with or without the accompanying crochet gestures. Half of programmers (three participants) and nonprogrammers (three participants) were taught with the gestures, while the other halves were not. Over two weeks we individually taught participants crochet during three separate 30 minute sessions. In a fourth session, we tested participants on crochet and elementary programming and algorithms. Test results showed that programmers and non-programmers performed better on average on both tests when they learned with gestures. We interviewed all participants afterwards; programmers provided examples of how crochet demonstrated elementary programming ideas, while nonprogrammers described what they thought about programming. Our empirical study provides evidence of embodied cognition and offers contributions towards developing novel teaching methods in computer science.