Sustainable C++ Education in General High School: from Teaching Programming Skills to Developing Computational Thinking

In the age of Artificial Intelligence, the status of C++ Education Program in China's general high schools is somewhat embarrassing. On one hand, the programming training courses targeted K-12 students have been a big industry; on the other hand, the four editions of the current National High School Information Technology Curriculum textbooks are all in python. Based on the teaching experience of frontline teachers who have been teaching in general high schools for 18 years and the analysis of China's latest curriculum standards and core literacy requirements in information technology, this paper explores how general high schools can achieve sustainable C++ education program. At the curriculum level, combining the characteristics of C++ and students' developmental needs, two series of courses are formed: the General Studies Series and the Competition Series, the General Studies Series feature "wide range of content" and "real problem-driven"; the Competition Series featuring "deep" and "classic problems of computer science algorithms". At the teaching level, putting "problem understanding", "algorithm design", "algorithm experimentation and analysis" and "algorithm thinking communication" at the core of teaching practice, in stages and according to the types of students, differential teaching strategies are adopted, attaching importance to the problem context design and algorithm design, and emphasizing the process of "computational thinking" of the students. Only based on the all-round development of students' individuality, adjusting the curriculum and teaching, can the C++ Programming Education of ordinary high school be sustainable.