With the concept of computational thinking as a core element, the proposed paper critically inventories the main directions in the literature, focusing on the shift from psychology - pedagogy to mathematics - computer science.Redefined in 2006, the concept is now at the peak of research and applications for pre-school and school children. It is no coincidence that two years ago computational thinking was introduced as an operational element in the Shanghai Compulsory Curriculum; there it was based on the premise that societies are targeting a fulminating economic development through paradigm shifts in teaching and learning on the integration of new computational thinking skills alongside the basic skills - reading, writing and counting. Indeed, "computational thinking is a fundamental skill for everyone, not just computer scientists. To reading, writing and mathematical skills, we should add computational thinking to every child's analytical ability" (Wing, 2006).