Seymour Papert

Mindstorms

1. IDEA 1

   Children can learn by programming

   Papert, a mathematician who worked with the psychologist Jean Piaget, argues that computers can help children learn deeply by letting them build and explore. He imagines children programming computers rather than being programmed by them.

2. IDEA 2

   Logo gave children a language

   Papert describes Logo, a programming language he helped develop for children. With simple commands, children could create drawings and ideas. In his view, a language of their own let children control a computer instead of being controlled by it.

3. IDEA 3

   A turtle teaches geometry

   Papert describes the Logo turtle, a small robot or screen object that children direct. Moving it helps them understand geometry through their own bodies. In his account, the turtle turns abstract rules into something a child can feel and test.

All 8 ideas from Mindstorms →