“In the LOGO environment … the child, even at preschool ages, is in control: The child programs the computer” (Papert, 1980, p. It was his children’s thinking machine – a machine that enabled children to be builders of their own learning and thinking. Papert saw that the power of the computer was its universality and its power to simulate. Papert was strongly influenced by constructivist educational theory, particularly the work of Jean Piaget. Thirty four years on, I am interested in revisiting the themes that Papert discussed and reflecting on these in the context of 21st century teaching and learning. I recently re-read a book by Papert published in 1980: Mindstorms: Children, computers, and powerful ideas. At its most sophisticated, it is a tool that enables students to explore, problem solve, experiment – and become immersed in an environment in which they take charge of the computer. I was inspired by the impact that LOGO was having on my students as learners, as well as by the thinking that Seymour Papert used in the development of LOGO.Īt its most basic, LOGO is an environment that enables students to programme an onscreen turtle to create geometric shapes.
When I look back at my time as a primary school teacher in the 1990s, one of the most powerful learning experiences for me and my students was the use of LOGO – that little pixelated turtle tracing geometric shapes on a monochrome CRT screen.