Kids Learning Engineering Science Using LEGO and the Programmable Brick
Fred G. Martin · 1996
With the aim of introducing ideas in engineering science to students at the elementary and high school levels, we have created the “Programmable Brick,” a new educational technology, and collaborated with teachers in the design and assessment of curricular plans for introducing the technology to the classroom. Using the Programmable Brick, students explore a variety of concepts, including sensing, control, and systems. Central to our approach is the belief that children learn most effectively when they are engaged in design, construction, and debugging activities. This paper reports results from a collaboration with three teachers—two elementary, one high school—developing curricular and testing models for introducing these materials to the classroom over the 1994–95 academic year.