Constructionism

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The constructionism is a learning theory , which stresses the importance of active engagement in the learning process. She is inspired by the ideas of constructivism . Like constructivism, constructionism also assumes that knowledge has to be built up (re-constructed) by the learners themselves and cannot simply be imparted. In addition, constructionism regards the production (construction) of artifacts, be it the design of a product, the building of a sand castle or the writing of a computer program, as very conducive to learning. On the one hand, this ensures that the learners are active and it is likely that they have also expanded their knowledge structures parallel to the manufactured object. On the other hand, constructionism assumes that learners learn particularly well when they make objects in which they have a personal interest. Depending on the topic, the constructed objects also offer the possibility of making abstract theoretical considerations and models concretely tangible ("understandable") and thus more understandable.

Constructionism was founded by Seymour Papert , a student of the constructivist Jean Piaget . Papert defined the term in 1987 in an application to the National Science Foundation under the title Constructionism: A New Opportunity for Elementary Science Education as follows: “The word constructionism is a mnemonic for two aspects of the theory of science education underlying this project. From constructivist theories of psychology we take a view of learning as a reconstruction rather than as a transmission of knowledge. Then we extend the idea of ​​manipulative materials to the idea that learning is most effective when part of an activity the learner experiences as constructing a meaningful product. "

The idea of ​​constructionism became generally known through Papert’s book Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas (Basic Books, 1980, German: Mindstorms: Kinder, Computer und neue Lern ) In which Papert describes, among other things, how children use the programming language Logo to create their own programs create. With such experiences, children would grow up in a kind of math country where it was as easy to learn math as it is for children in France to learn French.

Examples

The company Lego began in 1980, research projects in Papert's research group at MIT support. Among other things, this resulted in Lego Mindstorms (see also programming languages), the robotics line from LEGO and Lego Serious Play , in which business people analyze problems and develop strategies in workshops with the help of Lego blocks .

The $ 100 laptop project, which is supported by Nicholas Negroponte and Alan Kay as well as Seymour Papert, aims to promote constructionist learning in developing countries by giving every child a personal laptop.

Programming languages

Some programming languages have been developed in whole or in part for educational use to support the constructionism-learning approach. These languages ​​are dynamically typed and allow reflection .

The languages ​​include:

  • Logo is a multi-paradigm programming language and an easily readable adaptation or a dialect of Lisp , but without the parentheses . Logo is known for introducing turtle graphics to elementary schools in the 1980s. Their inventors are Francisco Esquembre and Seymour Papert.
  • Smalltalk is an object-oriented language and was designed and developed at Xerox PARC by a team led by Alan Kay .
  • EToys has been developed under the direction of Alan Kay since the 1990s , most recently by the Viewpoints Research Institute. The development is based on Morphic . Etoys originally aimed at math and science education in elementary schools.
  • Physical Etoys is an extension of Etoys and allows you to control different devices, e.g. B. Lego NXT, Arduino Board, Sphero, Kinect, Duinobot and Wiimote.
  • Scratch was developed in the early 21st century at the MIT Media Lab Lifelong Kindergarden Group. The development is led by Papert's student Mitchel Resnick . Scratch was originally designed to promote the use of technology in after-school care centers in economically disadvantaged communities.
  • StarLogo TNG was developed by the MIT Scheller Teacher Education Program under Eric Klopfer . It combines a block programming interface with 3D graphics. It aims at programming games and game-like simulations in middle and high schools.
  • NetLogo was developed by Uri Wilensky . The language is designed to teach children how to think and reason with a focus on arithmetic and programming logic. Net Logo extends the logo language by making a large number of turtles available at the same time. NetLogo is widely used, not just in the K-12 environment. Researchers are also interested in the concept of agent-based modeling .
  • Easy Java Simulations (also EjS or EJS) was developed by Open Source Physics under Francisco Esquembre for programming physics simulations in high schools and universities. The user works on a higher conceptual level, declaring and organizing equations and other mathematical expressions that perform the simulation.
  • LEGO WeDo is a graphic programming language for children ages 7 and up. It is used with the LEO WeDo power function hub.
  • Lego Mindstorms EV3 is a graphical data flow programming language for children aged 10 and over.

See also

Web links

literature

  • Mindstorms. Children, Computer and Powerful Ideas , Basic Books, New York, 1980, ISBN 0-465-04674-6
  • Seymour Papert and Idit Harel (1991) Situating Constructionism . In Seymour Papert and Idit Harel: Constructionism (1991)

Individual evidence

  1. ^ National Science Foundation: Constructionism: A New Opportunity for Elementary Science Education
  2. ^ NSF's grant A Networked, Media-Rich Programming Environment to Enhance Informal Learning and Technological Fluency at Community Technology Centers , National Science Foundation , Sep 2003.