scholarly journals KCSB: A Game Construction Framework for Kids Coding in Taiwan

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chun-Hsiung Tseng ◽  
Yung-Hui Chen ◽  
Shin-Chi Lai ◽  
Jia-Rou Lin
Keyword(s):  
Elementary Schools ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Time Slot ◽  
Computational Thinking ◽  
Game Engine ◽  
Reusable Component ◽  
Official Curriculum ◽  
File Parser ◽  
Current Stage ◽  
Current Curriculum

In this research, we proposed a game construction framework for designing games to teach young children programming in Taiwan. We focused on kids around 6-7 years old. For kids at such ages, solutions such as LEGO or Scratch may not be acceptable (considering that in Taiwan there is no official curriculum for teaching programming or computational thinking for kids at such ages). Although the blueprint setup a goal of information education for elementary schools, no real time slot is allocated in the current curriculum of elementary schools. The fact shows that teaching programming for young kids in Taiwan is difficult with existing tools/products. In this research, we proposed KCSB, a game construction framework which includes a set of runtime objects, a gd file parser, and a game creator. The framework is based on the Godot game engine. Designers can use the proposed framework with the Godot game engine to develop games that are suitable for teaching programming concepts for young children. At the current stage, the framework supports these progamming concepts: problem solving, algorithm evaluation, function (reusable component) definition, and loop. In the manuscript, an example demonstrating the use of the framework is also included.

scholarly journals KCSB: A Game Construction Framework for Kids Coding in Taiwan

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chun-Hsiung Tseng ◽  
Yung-Hui Chen ◽  
Shin-Chi Lai ◽  
Jia-Rou Lin
Keyword(s):  
Elementary Schools ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Time Slot ◽  
Computational Thinking ◽  
Game Engine ◽  
Reusable Component ◽  
Official Curriculum ◽  
File Parser ◽  
Current Stage ◽  
Current Curriculum

In this research, we proposed a game construction framework for designing games to teach young children programming in Taiwan. We focused on kids around 6-7 years old. For kids at such ages, solutions such as LEGO or Scratch may not be acceptable (considering that in Taiwan there is no official curriculum for teaching programming or computational thinking for kids at such ages). Although the blueprint setup a goal of information education for elementary schools, no real time slot is allocated in the current curriculum of elementary schools. The fact shows that teaching programming for young kids in Taiwan is difficult with existing tools/products. In this research, we proposed KCSB, a game construction framework which includes a set of runtime objects, a gd file parser, and a game creator. The framework is based on the Godot game engine. Designers can use the proposed framework with the Godot game engine to develop games that are suitable for teaching programming concepts for young children. At the current stage, the framework supports these progamming concepts: problem solving, algorithm evaluation, function (reusable component) definition, and loop. In the manuscript, an example demonstrating the use of the framework is also included.

scholarly journals The Long, Long Line by T. Ohmura

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Debbie Feisst
Keyword(s):  
Elementary Schools ◽  
Young Adult ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Picture Book ◽  
Young Adult Fiction ◽  
University Of Alberta ◽  
Young Readers ◽  
Long Line ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The University

Ohmura, Tomoko. The Long, Long Line. Toronto, ON: OwlKids Books, 2013. Print."Thank you for waiting, and welcome aboard! One at a time, please!" mentions the bird, who is the ride guide on this mysterious ride for which 50 different animals have patiently lined up. As they wait, the bird flies amongst them, offering reassuring words as they guess as to what they may be in line for and play word games to pass the time.  The anticipation builds, and finally they start boarding the ride, which turns out to be a very large whale on which the animals ride while the whale performs somersaults, dives and sprays. Children will be delighted by all 50 animals represented on the large gatefold spread in the center of the book, from the smallest frog to the largest elephant.Children will love the small details such as the tail of the next animal in line ‘peeking’ around the corner of the page and the size of the animals increasing as they get closer to the ride giving perspective of size. A list of all 50 animals is included at the back for easy reference when young readers get stumped by a species. While this is indeed a picture book aimed at young children it is no quick read – children will want to hear every word of the animals’ conversations as they wait and will want to count as they go, and likely once all the animals are aboard the whale they will want to confirm there are indeed 50 animals present, perhaps multiple times.The colourful illustrations by the author are cute and engaging and show a wide range of expressions and interplay between the animals.  The language felt slightly unnatural but this may be a result of this edition being a translation of the original Japanese work Nanno Gyoretsu? A fun book for public and elementary schools as well as a nice addition to science or math based storytime in lower elementary grades.The Long, Long Line was selected as one of the best children’s books of 2013 by Kirkus Reviews.Recommended: 3 out of 4 stars Reviewer: Debbie FeisstDebbie is a Public Services Librarian at the H.T. Coutts Education Library at the University of Alberta.  When not renovating, she enjoys travel, fitness and young adult fiction.

Are Teaching Practices Suitable for Classes of Six-Year-Old Children?

2016 ◽  
pp. 183-195
Author(s):  
Gisela Wajskop
Keyword(s):  
Elementary Schools ◽  
Action Research ◽  
Public Education ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Education System ◽  
Teaching Practices ◽  
Basic Education ◽  
Preschool Education ◽  
Pedagogical Practices ◽  
Teacher Students

The present study is the result of an investigation carried out for eight months, from March to October 2006, comprises Grade 1 classes at the São Paulo Public Education System, Brazil. Forty teacher students performing literacy activities during their pre-service activities simultaneously conducted this action research in 40 Grade 1. Six-year-old children were moved from preschool education to elementary schools since 2006 in order to respect the legal determinations defined by the Lei de Diretrizes e Bases da Educação Nacional (Brasil, 1996), which expanded basic education from 8 to 9 years. Such democratic governmental action, however, has raised issues concerning the way very young children are taught in a typically school-like context. From this perspective, our study enables us to raise sociocultural problems regarding the non-inclusive pedagogical practices in use. Results show non-inclusive pedagogical practices, as well some paths to change this educational setting.

Why Teach Coding to Early Elementary Learners

2021 ◽  
pp. 21-40
Author(s):  
Claudia M. Mihm
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Computer Science ◽  
Computational Thinking ◽  
Early Elementary ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
The Core ◽  
Core Concepts ◽  
Way Of Thinking

As coding and computer science become established domains in K-2 education, researchers and educators understand that children are learning more than skills when they learn to code – they are learning a new way of thinking and organizing thought. While these new skills are beneficial to future programming tasks, they also support the development of other crucial skills in early childhood education. This chapter explores the ways that coding supports computational thinking in young children and connects the core concepts of computational thinking to the broader K-2 context.

scholarly journals PopBots: Designing an Artificial Intelligence Curriculum for Early Childhood Education

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 ◽  
pp. 9729-9736 ◽  
Author(s):  
Randi Williams ◽  
Hae Won Park ◽  
Lauren Oh ◽  
Cynthia Breazeal
Keyword(s):  
Artificial Intelligence ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Computational Thinking ◽  
Social Robot ◽  
Kindergarten Children ◽  
Learning Needs ◽  
Teaching Approaches ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
Hands On ◽  
Specific Learning

PopBots is a hands-on toolkit and curriculum designed to help young children learn about artificial intelligence (AI) by building, programming, training, and interacting with a social robot. Today’s children encounter AI in the forms of smart toys and computationally curated educational and entertainment content. However, children have not yet been empowered to understand or create with this technology. Existing computational thinking platforms have made ideas like sequencing and conditionals accessible to young learners. Going beyond this, we seek to make AI concepts accessible. We designed PopBots to address the specific learning needs of children ages four to seven by adapting constructionist ideas into an AI curriculum. This paper describes how we designed the curriculum and evaluated its effectiveness with 80 Pre-K and Kindergarten children. We found that the use of a social robot as a learning companion and programmable artifact was effective in helping young children grasp AI concepts. We also identified teaching approaches that had the greatest impact on student’s learning. Based on these, we make recommendations for future modules and iterations for the PopBots platform.

Scrutinizing number charts

1970 ◽  
Vol 17 (8) ◽  
pp. 645-653
Author(s):  
E. Paul Goldenberg
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Educational Program ◽  
Mathematical Research ◽  
The World ◽  
The Universe ◽  
Current Curriculum

One of the goals of any complete educational program for children is the encouragement of a child's natural curiosity about the world and the development of his ability to recognize the patterns and regularities of the universe about him. Mathematics classes offer an opportunity almost unequalled by any other current curriculum to serve this goal because of the frequency with which very compelling patterns emerge in the midst of rather ordinary-looking work. This paper presents some activities as an example of the kind of mathematical research that young children can enjoy. The object of this close scrutiny is the humble number chart (sometimes called a hundred-chart or number lattice) that appears commonly in texts, viual aids, and some manipulative materials.

Constructing Tests of Mathematical Concepts for Young Children

1956 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 81-108
Author(s):  
J. Wayne Wrightstone
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
Elementary Schools ◽  
Young Children ◽  
York City ◽  
Mathematical Thinking ◽  
Mathematical Concepts ◽  
Mathematics Program

About ten years ago, the Mathematics Program in the elementary schools of New York City was modified so as to place an increasing emphasis on the a bility of young children to do mathematical thinking. It was assumed that children can learn to think in the abstract terms of mathematics only if they learn meaningful concepts of arithmetic, or mathematics. The mathematics to be learned must not be too difficult for pupil understanding and must not be too easy to preclude a challenge to thinking.

scholarly journals GGasCT: Bringing Formal Methods to the Computational Thinking

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Braz Araujo da Silva Junior ◽  
Simone André da Costa Cavalheiro ◽  
Luciana Foss
Keyword(s):  
Computational Thinking ◽  
Thinking Skills ◽  
Graph Grammar ◽  
Educational Game ◽  
Graph Grammars ◽  
Game Engine ◽  
Educational Tools ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
Comprehensive Framework ◽  
Selection Of

This work presents an alternative approach for developing computational thinking: the graph grammars. Many related terms are individually explored in order to clarify what is in the range of computational thinking. The selection of the terms draws on a systematic literature review that sheds a light on the most commonly addressed terms in the computational thinking literature. A formal and visual language, the graph grammar, is introduced, formally defined and explored, discussing its relations with computational thinking skills. An educational game and a game engine are developed and presented as examples of graph grammars to promote computational thinking. As result, a comprehensive framework to develop and assess computational thinking through graph grammars is theoretically grounded and made available by the developed educational tools.

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