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The architecture of children's use of language and tools when problem solving collaboratively with robotics
Mills, Kathy A. Chandra, Vinesh Park, Ji Yong
Mills, Kathy A.
Chandra, Vinesh
Park, Ji Yong
Abstract
This paper demonstrates, following Vygotsky, that language and tool use has a critical role in the collaborative problem-solving behaviour of school-age children. It reports original ethnographic classroom research examining the convergence of speech and practical activity in children's collaborative problem solving with robotics programming tasks. The researchers analysed children's interactions during a series of problem solving experiments in which Lego Mindstorms toolsets were used by teachers to create robotics design challenges among 24 students in a Year 4 Australian classroom (students aged 8.5-9.5 years). The design challenges were incrementally difficult, beginning with basic programming of straight line movement, and progressing to more complex challenges involving programming of the robots to raise Lego figures from conduit pipes using robots as pulleys with string and recycled materials. Data collection involved micro-genetic analysis of students' speech interactions with tools, peers, and other experts, teacher interviews, and student focus group data. Coding the repeated patterns in the transcripts, the authors outline the structure of the children's social speech in joint problem solving, demonstrating the patterns of speech and interaction that play an important role in the socialisation of the school-age child's practical intellect.
Keywords
cognition, collaborationLanguage, problem solving, speech, Vygotsky
Date
2013
Type
Journal article
Journal
Australian Educational Researcher
Book
Volume
40
Issue
3
Page Range
315-337
Article Number
ACU Department
Institute for Learning Sciences and Teacher Education (ILSTE)
Faculty of Education and Arts
Faculty of Education and Arts
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
Published as green open access
License
File Access
Controlled
Open
Open