On Thursday 12 Aug 2010 8:41:46 pm Steve Thomas wrote:
The challenge in a system where everything is done from "First Principles" is that when you are designing an"educational environment" "lesson", or "Artifact" ( better terms might be "playthink" and/or "tool to think with"), it can take a lot of work to build those preferably translucent boxes.
The learning env may have become digital today but the challenge is not very different. Ever tried to help 5-8 yr olds learn basic arith ops with a electronic calculator around? I found that they figure out the tool faster than basic ops and then are not motivated to work through long additions. Kids spend long hours adding a string of numbers like 3+3+3 .... and then suddenly the mult tables start making a lot of sense. Or after exploring multiple ways of solving 792 - 598 and stumbling on an unconventional solution - like boosting both by 2 and solve 794 - 600 ;-).
It is tempting to build "convenience tools" and drop them into Etoys for kids to use. But a much better way is to let them plod through and figure it out for themselves. Tips and shortcuts can be offered later after basic comprehension is in place.
Subbu