THE EASY LOGO PARADIGMISSEP 2011, 26 - 29 October, Bratislava

LET’S PUT SOME FRAMEWORK…Section 1

LOGO : 45 YEARS OF HISTORYSeymour Papert started working with Logo in the late 60sHe wanted to change the way we teach and learn maths He also wanted to change the way we teach and learn in generalComputer science was in its infancy at that ageToday is a mature standalone science with lots of achievements and a tremendous effect on everyday life

SHOULD WE USE LOGO TO TEACH CS?

Research question: Is Logo the right means to start teaching basic CS concepts related to programming

and other areas? The traditional Logo teaching methodologies that

were created in the 70s and 80s, were mostly applied to maths education, and they were oriented towards teaching basic geometrical concepts like angles, lines, points, shapes, etc (the Turtle’s geometry).

If we want to use Logo to teach CS, maybe we have to change our didactic methodologies (and tools) or create new ones, that emphasize the fact that LOGO is an environment / language that permits the control of a virtual robotic entity (the turtle)

SOME THINGS YOU MAY ALREADY KNOW…

Today computing is everywhere (ubiquitous): mobile phones TV sets, washing machines, even tables and watches. Computing has become part of our every day activity and inseparable component

of human action This dramatic change cannot leave the school curriculum intact It is negotiable if school should keep on teaching to children how to use

specific commercial applications like MS word , or it would rather limit itself to teach the concepts behind the use of word processors and other kind of software in general

Applications change and vary. MS word may not exist tomorrow and for sure it will not exist as we know it today

People in general, especially children, today get more and more familiar with the Computer and the Internet from their out of school activity.

Ten years ago perhaps we needed to teach a child how to open an e-mail account, now most of the children by the age of 10 have their own email account and internet profile. So why we need to teach them how to do it?

TEACHING CS AT PRIMARY SCHOOL: WHAT AND WHY?We should first ask what do we want to achieve. We want kids: to be able to interact efficiently with software and

hardware intended for everyday use (word processors, mobile phones, tablets, etc).

We want them to acquire digital culture (communicate, share, present, contribute)

and last but not least, to be able to create digital artifacts for enhancing and serving their human activities

WHY TEACH PROGRAMMING TO YOUNG CHILDREN? Programming encompasses many basic CS concepts :

algorithm, command, design, determinism, parameter, variable, debugging, reusability, etc. so programming is probably the right place to start with.

Our world becomes more and more programmable: to be able to interact with a digital apparatus, one needs to have developed some basic programming skills.

Children seem to like it! Its nice for them to learn how to produce digital creations, like the ones that they enjoy to consume (videos, games, etc.). It’s even nicer the sense of control and creativity that they get when they start programming.

The younger they start the easier it is…

BUT HERE COME SOME IMPORTANT QUESTIONS! What to teach and at which level or depth or

width? How to teach (what didactic methods to

use?) Which are the right tools? Which is the right set of educational

activities?

This paper tries to answer some of the above questions from the practitioners point of view.

LET ME INTRODUCE YOU TO EASYLOGO…Section 2

BASIC CHARACTERISTICSBasic characteristics Free to download No installation is required Very light and easily transferable (<1MB) Simple user interface Extendable with new activities created by the

teacher Look and feel of a computer game (change of

levels, control of a virtual object and randomness)

MORE CHARACTERISTICS Limited set of logo instructions (~10) Supports procedures, iteration and

parameterization of commands Does not support variables and decision

commands Activities mainly deal with drawing shapes,

that own some animated components Interactive board games is another

interesting application for more advanced users (more on tomorrow’s workshop)

DEMO!!!Section 3

EXPERIENCE FROM THE CLASSROOM AND SOME TIPS…Section 4

THE EDUCATIONAL SETUP First year of implementation of a program that

introduces CS in the Greek public primary school’s basic curriculum (2010-2011)

Children addressed at 3 age levels, 8-9, 9-10, 10-11 years old

20 – 25 children per classroom Computer lab of 12 PCs 2 hours per week for a 10 week period (2nd

trimester) Children had no previous experience with

programming and limited experience with using the computer in general

EDUCATIONAL DESIGN Series of activities have been designed in modules Each module consists of a set of activities that are

scalable concerning difficulty and complexity and aim towards a grid of specific learning goals (vertical and horizontal)

Modules build upon each other forming a well-structured Unit of Learning (UoL)

Most of the modules are based on constructionism theory i.e. we expect from the students tangible results deriving from playful situations.

Various learning methods are used like role playing, game playing and situative learning

Activity design has been based on well – established learning design methodologies [Agostinho, S., Beetham, H.]

DIDACTIC PROCEDUREEach module follows a certain didactic procedure:1. Connection with previous module/s2. Introduction to new knowledge3. Practical use of knew knowledge on a trial

and error basis4. Playing free and experimenting with newly

acquired knowledge (and maybe older one)Review modules may contain only steps 1 and 4. The ritual is very important for young children!

PAY SOME ATTENTION! The interconnection between modules : transitions

must be smooth (start always the new session with something familiar from the old ones)

To the degrees of freedom given to the pupils. Try to give clear instructions, but always let them take decisions and make their own choices. They should feel responsible for the outcome of their work. Outcomes should differ from each other.

The set of horizontal learning goals that spread throughout the activities: e.g. learn how to work in groups, learn how to be precise, learn to work systematically and finish your work, learn how to design before start programming, etc.

REFLECTIONS…Section 5

RESULTS AND PROBLEMS (1) Children liked it but…they posed a serious

question: “ what all these have to do with Informatics, anyway?”

About 80-90 percent managed to follow and completed all the series of activities. Younger children stopped earlier.

When they were let free to play they returned back to EasyLogo

Some of them asked how they could get it at home

RESULTS AND PROBLEMS (2) 20-25 is a large number of students The computer is a great opponent! Children see

the computer as a game machine not as a means for learning.

Misconceptions about CS and the use of computer applications

No prior experience with programming, or anything similar

FUTURE WORK It’s very difficult to see things from a child’s

position. We still need more research in order to : understand the basic difficulties that children of this

age face when they are introduced to programming find the order (teaching path) that should be followed

to teach basic concepts (e.g. should we first introduce iteration or procedures)

Fine the right “granularity” of new knowledge introduction

Create a set of exemplary activities that

TEACHING TIPS A teacher must be very realistic with his/her

expectations : low expectations can bring great results! The focus should not be on teaching the programming

language (vocabulary and syntax), but on teaching the concepts. EasyLogo is a nice environment from this point of view. Due to its simplicity (as a user interface) and its limited command set (as a language), it allows one to focus on teaching basic notions of CS likw command, iteration, parameter, program, procedure, randomness, determinism, design, etc.

One needs to be very clear about his/her own educational objectives each time he/she is enters the classroom.

SOME SHORT OF CONCLUSION:Children are ready, we (the teachers) must get ready, as well.

Thanks, a lot

skiadelli@gmail.com