Category Archives: Research

Interview From PBS Connecting Point

Posted on August 8, 2018 by JohnHeffernan
Posted in Child Development, Research, Robotics, Teaching | Leave a comment

LEGO Education Master Educator Meet Up with Mitch Resnick

Posted on June 25, 2018 by JohnHeffernan

I was recently honored to be named a LEGO Education Master Educator (and an advisor to the group).   We met recently in Chicago for a day long event.  I got to chat a bit and hear the keynote from … Continue reading →

Posted in Child Development, Research, Robotics, Teaching, Technology | Leave a comment

PAEMST – Presidential Awards for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching

Posted on March 1, 2018 by JohnHeffernan

I received this award a few years back and I encourage others to apply.  It’s a great experience to video yourself, really analyze what you are trying to do, and get feedback from the NSF reviewers. Here’s some info on … Continue reading →

Posted in Research, Robotics, Teaching, Technology | Leave a comment

Two Speeds at Once

Posted on December 8, 2017 by JohnHeffernan

This photo shows one of the common issues I see with our grade 6 make your own dragster project.  Frequently, kids try to have different wheels on the same car go at two different speeds at the same time.  Not … Continue reading →

Posted in Child Development, Research, Robotics, Teaching, Technology | Leave a comment

Dissertation Conclusion

Posted on January 14, 2017 by JohnHeffernan

Conclusion Development and gender were not significant factors in determining the EDP or the success of designs in this study with the exception of executive functions such as causal reasoning, which, in particular, showed some evidence of an age related … Continue reading →

Posted in Child Development, Research, Robotics, Teaching, Technology | Leave a comment

Dissertation Research Teaser – 7 Key Factors in LEGO Robotic Open Ended Challenges

Posted on October 20, 2016 by JohnHeffernan
Posted in Child Development, Research, Robotics, Teaching | Leave a comment

How To Make An Activity Timeline in EXCEL (Revised)

Posted on February 1, 2016 by JohnHeffernan

How do you produce a timeline of recurring activity types easily using EXCEL?  I had some trouble getting EXCEL to do this so I am sharing my technique here.  I use this in my research to characterize the engineering design … Continue reading →

Posted in Child Development, Research, Robotics, Technology | 1 Comment

Started Dissertation Research

Posted on November 13, 2015 by JohnHeffernan

I have started filming for my dissertation research.  It feels like a big step forward with so much leading up to this:  13 courses, pilot study, comps, dissertation proposal, and so much reading!  I will be filming 6 second grade … Continue reading →

Posted in Child Development, Research, Robotics | Leave a comment

Creativity and Elementary Engineering

Posted on September 6, 2015 by JohnHeffernan

In the theoretical framework of a new book called Engaging Young Engineers:  Teaching Problem Solving Skills Through STEM (Stone-Macdonald, Wendell, Douglass, Love, & Hyson, 2015), the authors posit that there are 5 kinds of thinking developed by teaching problem solving via STEM for early … Continue reading →

Posted in Child Development, Research, Robotics, Teaching, Technology | Leave a comment

PHD – Bit of a Break

Posted on July 17, 2015 by JohnHeffernan

I passed my dissertation proposal defense in June.  The proposal consisted of the first 4 chapters of my dissertation.  These are Problem Statement, Literature Review, Theoretical Frameworks, and Methodology.  These chapters may have to change a bit depending of what … Continue reading →

Posted in Research, Robotics | Leave a comment