Category Archives: Child Development

Data Analysis And Implications – Grade 6 Survey

Posted on January 23, 2013 by JohnHeffernan

In a previous post ( https://kidsengineer.com/?p=572 ) I showed a graph of sixth grade attitudes towards computers/technology and engineering as a career.  This results were pre/post surveys before and after a grade 6 robotics unit.  The students had not experienced … Continue reading →

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Self-talk and Kid’s Building

Posted on September 28, 2012 by JohnHeffernan

I noticed a lot of self-talk during the case study building sessions last year with kindergarten kids.  You may recall that I am going a seven year case study starting in grade K and going to grade 6 with 8 … Continue reading →

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Robotics Starts!

Posted on September 23, 2012 by JohnHeffernan

I had my first robotics class last week.  In order to get every grade level done, I need to start in September.  I am starting with grade 4 (2 sections) this year.  The kids were very eager to get going.  … Continue reading →

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Grade 6 Survey Results

Posted on July 4, 2012 by JohnHeffernan

This cohort had 2 years of LEGO robotics.  Last year’s only had one.  Also, the unit was much more successful this year.  I did change the wording of the engineering question slightly this year to match another study sponsored by … Continue reading →

Posted in Child Development, Research, Robotics, Technology | 3 Comments

First Year of Case Study – Observations

Posted on June 12, 2012 by JohnHeffernan

I saw some interesting things in the first year of the seven-year longitudinal case study of engineering skills of young children from grades K to 6.  Each year, they will be given a variety of materials and be asked to … Continue reading →

Posted in Child Development, Research, Robotics, Technology | 3 Comments

Science Fair Take Apart Center

Posted on May 9, 2012 by JohnHeffernan

Students excitedly take apart old computers at our 2012 Williamsburg, MA Science Fair and learn about computers in the process.

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Sixth Grade Dragster Robots

Posted on May 9, 2012 by JohnHeffernan

Check out the level of excitement of Tori and Bella as they used some great teamwork and engineering to produce a really fast robot dragster using 3 chained gears.

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Kindergarten Estimation and Measurement with BeeBots

Posted on May 3, 2012 by JohnHeffernan

We have a great estimation and measurement lesson for K kids that uses BeeBots.  Kids first estimate the distance between two marks of some kind (I use masking tape).  There are a number of these around the room (usually 8 … Continue reading →

Posted in Child Development, Robotics, Teaching | 4 Comments

Stages of Art, Stages of Engineering

Posted on March 30, 2012 by JohnHeffernan

I recently noticed a significant jump in my son’s art skills.  Truth be told, he was the one that noticed.  He came home from school very excited to draw saying, “Dad, I write like a sixth grader!”  (He was a … Continue reading →

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Update

Posted on March 28, 2012 by JohnHeffernan

I have been busy and not had a chance to blog. However, there is a lot going on and I have some great topics in the queue. I was one of a handful of teachers out of 1100 applicants to … Continue reading →

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