Papert Category
Show me the math!
Posted on September 7, 2017 1 Comment
Where is the math in coding? As much as I think that the connections between coding and mathematics are obvious, I think that there is a process involved in noticing and noting when mathematical concepts are demonstrated–some are clearly in use in students’ code and are easy to notice; other concepts are also in use […]
5 realizations that defined me as a teacher
Posted on August 24, 2017 2 Comments
Thanks to Jonathan So for the provocation: Top 5 Defining Teaching Moments https://t.co/QJHONWHIIh — Jonathan So (@MrSoclassroom) August 24, 2017 In my own mind, I prefer to think of my list as realizations that defined me as a teacher. Teaching grade one made me (professionally speaking) I have spent a total of six years of my […]
Star Wars and the micro:bit
Posted on June 22, 2017 Leave a Comment
“I wanted to make it play the theme from Star Wars.” So began a Grade 5 student’s response this week when I asked her what she was working on with her micro:bit program. It was her very first session with it but she, and the rest of class, did have several other experiences in recent […]
Scratch is the right place for coding
Posted on May 30, 2017 Leave a Comment
Coding in education is once again gaining more and more popularity in education. There are now too many coding tools, online and device-based, to keep up with. There are so many choices now for students, teachers, or for anyone looking at using coding in education. Choice is great but it creates a new challenge for […]
Powerful learning results in flow
Posted on February 22, 2017 Leave a Comment
Once again, I was inspired and prompted by my friend Matt Oldridge into thinking and writing. This time, I found myself considering flow again. I wrote about this a few years ago but, since then, I have learned more about constructionism and more about learning in general. I’ve still so much to learn but Matt’s prompt […]
Learning Design by Making Games
Posted on December 19, 2016 5 Comments
One of my favourite chapters in Constructionism in Practice was written by Yasmin Kafai: Learning Design by Making Games (pp. 71-123). She was interested in learning more about the development of children’s design strategies within the context of creating an authentic artifact – a computer game. Children were asked to design and create an interactive computer game that […]
Mathland Reflections – Game Design
Posted on December 10, 2016 1 Comment
One of my blogging goals is to share more often about coding to learn experiences of the students I am working with at various schools. Case in point, on Friday, some grade 5 students were hard at work during their fourth session (our first was October 3) of game design using Scratch. In January, they […]
Turn the “Hour of Code” into the “Year of Learning”
Posted on December 1, 2016 2 Comments
It’s great that so many students and teachers I know, and many whom I do not know (but am aware of via Twitter) are checking out code.org or other hour of code sites next week. There are so many great resources that always result in a fantastically exciting hour for students. Coding has become the current term […]
Why do you want kids to code?
Posted on November 13, 2016 3 Comments
I made this because I think there is an important distinction between learning to code and coding to learn. I think the focus with students doing coding in schools should be coding to learn. Bill Ferriter’s graphic called what do you want kids to do with technology was the inspiration for my graphic. I created this for […]
Why play? Why inquiry?
Posted on November 2, 2016 2 Comments
I’m reading this book. It’s hard, but it’s fun. I’m playing around with the ideas and it’s making me think a lot about teaching, learning, playing, and knowledge. Play, making, exploring, inquiry-based learning, problem-based learning, project-based learning, maker spaces, and so on… these are all justifiable reactions against the arbitrary segregation of various subject matter […]
