Lernen für die digitale Transformation
© LEGO® - Reinhold privat
The new funding project “Computational and Algorithmic Principles in LEGO®-Enriched Mathematics Learning (COMPILE)” sets out to introduce primary-school children to programming, logical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills in a playful way. The aim is to develop didactically sound teaching material for computational thinking and to try out learning situations in the classroom environment. This joint project is being supported for a period of three years with a fund of about 180,000 euros.
The digital transformation is opening up new opportunities for social participation in many areas of life. At the same time, it gives people the opportunity to actively shape their future. Essential prerequisite skills for this are programming, logical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving capacity – in other words computational thinking. Children in particular should be enabled to acquire these skills at an early stage in their development.
The new research project COMPILE is investigating how primary-school children can be introduced to the principles of computational thinking and to using computers in a playful way. The focus here is on the use of LEGO® SPIKE™ Essential, a classroom learning and building system for first- to fourth-grade pupils. The system combines the creative process of building with a child-friendly programming environment.
The combination of practical building and logical programming teaches children how to work with algorithms. Thanks to a robot that navigates through a labyrinth or a machine that uses color recognition to simulate “waste separation,” learning literally becomes a tangible experience. On the other hand, a universally recognized didactic procedure for the sustainable teaching of computational thinking in schools is currently lacking; there are still considerable gaps in research in this connection.
The new funding project under the management of Prof. Dr. Frank Reinhold from the Freiburg University of Education sets out to close these gaps. In cooperation with Jun.-Prof. Priska Sprenger from the Heidelberg University of Education, the use of computational thinking in primary schools is to be tested and scientifically optimized. This project is being funded by the Daimler and Benz Foundation for a period of three years with a sum of more than 180,000 euros. The aim is to develop didactically effective teaching material and to try out learning situations that will be of benefit to both primary school children in the classroom and to teachers in training courses.
- Prof. Dr. Frank Reinhold, Freiburg University of Education
- Jun.-Prof. Dr. Priska Sprenger, Heidelberg University of Education