>From the self-descriptions that keep dropping into my mailbox I can see
that there are many people in the xmca-community that are involved in
interesting work with children and computers. I am currently preparing
background material for a presentation to be made (not by me...) at an
Academia Europaea conference on "Developing an early understanding of
science" on the use of computers for science education in the "early
childhood" ages (up to 12).
Now, my own research has involved children in ages 5 to 8 years, using
software intended to promote an intuitive grasp of numbers as additive/
/subtractive "structures." However, I think maths isn't _quite_ what they
mean by "science" in this context. I think what they are aiming for would
rather be ideas, concepts and models to do with those parts of the natural
sciences deemed accessible to children in these young ages. Other people
have been researching the use of computer applications in areas of physics
(mechanics, electricity...) also the use of STELLA to simulate dynamic
systems, and... I'm probably forgetting things, as usual. Anyway, this has
almost exclusively been in the age ranges above 12 -- upper primary,
secondary, and beginning tertiary education. This seems to be quite usual
also in the anglo-saxon world one may survey in the ERIC: it is quite easy
to find research on computer use in science teaching OR on young children
using computers OR on the science learning of young children. Finding all
three together is _much_ harder (though not entirely nonexistant, I admit).
Is my impression correct? If not, could you please enlighten me and help me
fill in the gaps? (But look below first, where I try to say what we are NOT
overlooking... like for example the LOGO culture and its various branches.)
To my/ /our embarrassment we have a very vague grasp of the European scene
-- or rather, again the people we have contacts with seem to be doing
research on older students, or with other subject matter areas, when it
comes to children, computers and the natural sciences. (Excepting possibly
the British Open University people). Our colleagues in science education
research have no European contacts with a research interest in computer use
for young ages.
Am I missing something important, or is there really "nothing" going on?
As for Sweden, again research seems to be amed mostly outside our target
area. And what goes on in schools -- where we have, in this country been
(centralisedly) late in introducing computers in Early Childhood
classrooms, "things" now seem to proceed in a rather patchy and often
trivial way. The computer certainly does not bring instant revolution (why
should it, how could it?)
Or am I totally wrong?
A-ahh... I'm running out of time for writing this... I wanted finally to
indicate that we have kept an eye on "the American scene" through the
years. I should think the cluster around Papert, LOGO and related work at
MIT is very relevant to the field we are currently trying to get a grasp
of... ...It was Papert's "Mindstorms" that brought me straight from my
teacher's education into research, and I think we are reasonably updated
there. We are also, I think, reasonably aware of work by people clustering
around Bank Street College. I could mention a few more clusters of people,
but again I have a feeling they are working mostly with older students? Or
not with computers? Or with other subject matter areas?
So, is there anybody out there to enlighten all those dark spots?
Eva
nununununununununununununununununununununununununununununununununununununununu
Eva Ekeblad
Univ. of Gothenburg, Sweden Goteborgs Universitet
Dept. of Education & Educational Research Institutionen for Pedagogik
Box 1010
S-431 26 Molndal, SWEDEN
e-mail: eva.ekeblad who-is-at ped.gu.se
Tel: +46 31 773 2393 fax: Int +46 31 773 24 62
nununununununununununununununununununununununununununununununununununununununu