Classroom Happenings: Coding for Curiosity and Problem-Solving

Picture what you might imagine as a typical technology class in elementary school. Now hit “select all” and delete your mental image. Replace it with what’s happening in Alison Travis’ classroom. Ms. Travis, the Lower School technology facilitator, is creating a new framework, one focused on pattern recognition and problem-solving, as well as social-emotional skills like perseverance, teamwork, and creativity. 

“Computational thinking is so much more than learning to code,” Ms. Travis said. “It’s a way to think about the world and solve problems in every part of your life, like science or math class or cooking at home. You break a process down into steps to accomplish a goal. In Lower School, we’re engaging in active technology use that integrates hands-on lessons using real-world materials and processes that will help students develop skills they need for life.”

Ms. Travis’ classes blend individual and group work, on- and off-screen activities, and academic lessons happening in students’ homerooms.

For example, Grade 3 students are currently learning about geography and national parks with their homeroom teachers. Ms. Travis designed a corresponding project, Robot Road Trip. First, she taught the students how to use Google Earth to explore an assigned national park. Working in groups, they found four notable locations within that park, such as a waterfall or lookout. They then made large paper maps of their park based on their digital maps. The students then worked together to code their Finches (educational robots) to drive the paper map and visit each notable landmark. The project concluded with each group creating a Google Slides presentation with pictures of each location, their maps, and what they learned.

Outside of Ms. Travis’ class, the students built 3D models of various landforms from national parks in engineering class with Suzanne Casey. And they're continuing to do online research about various parks in class, too.

“Screen time for young children is a delicate balance,” explained Lower School Director Becky Groves. “For our youngest students, we limit technology use as a means only to facilitate other types of learning. For students in grades 3-5, we integrate more technology use in developmentally appropriate ways, acknowledging the skills and tools they will need to succeed in Middle School and beyond.”

Ms. Travis went on to explain that students in Junior Kindergarten through Grade 2 learn to code on screen-free robots, called KIBOs, which were developed as a learning tool based on MIT research. “Starting in JK, my theme is ‘what is technology and how does it help us?’” she said. “I want students to understand that all tools that help us are forms of tech.” JK students recently had the opportunity to explore all sorts of technology from different time periods, including telephones, stereos, and televisions. They even experimented with sound waves on “tin can” phones.

In fifth grade, students use Spheros, which are also used in Middle School. They apply concepts from other lessons while programming the Spheros. For example, students recently made 3D corn mazes for a grade-level event called Fall-O-STEAM, and programmed their Spheros to roll through their mazes. Parents will see the Spheros in action at Fall-O-STEAM on Friday, October 30.

Ms. Travis details her educational philosophy on her class website. Of note, she writes: “My classroom is a space for exploration and discussion, where students learn how tech works, how to use it responsibly and critically, and how to harness its benefits to support learning. I love that my class provides the perfect opportunity to teach students HOW to think, not WHAT to think.”