Category Archives: Teaching

New Burglar Alarm Posters

Posted on March 12, 2015 by JohnHeffernan

Here are some nice example of grade 4 burglar alarm ad posters from this year.  Students have an open-ended engineering challenge of building a prototype burglar alarm.  Next, they design an ad poster and make a pitch at a simulated … Continue reading →

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Space Challenge Ready To Go

Posted on January 9, 2015 by JohnHeffernan

My enrichment students have finished building all the LEGO EV3 Space Challenge pieces and are ready to take on the challenge missions!

Posted in Robotics, Teaching, Technology | 3 Comments

Found This Note on a Robot Kit Today

Posted on October 29, 2014 by JohnHeffernan

    We found this note from two of last year’s sixth graders on one of the robotics kits.  It was very satisfying to find this note.  The two boys were so proud of their accomplishments. “This kit was the … Continue reading →

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Elementary Robotics Book Talk – June 19, 2014 – Meekins Library, Williamsburg

Posted on May 22, 2014 by JohnHeffernan

Author’s Talk John Heffernan Elementary Robotics: Sustaining the Natural Engineering Instincts of Children Thursday, June 19, 2014 7 PM to 8 PM 2 Williams Street, Williamsburg, MA 01341 413-268-7472 Toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners are natural engineers. They love sand castles, … Continue reading →

Posted in Child Development, Research, Robotics, Teaching, Technology | 2 Comments

Drumming Monkey – The Science of Rhythm

Posted on March 21, 2014 by JohnHeffernan

I have struggled for years with the science experiment part of the LEGO WeDo Drumming Monkey robot. The experiment workshop tells the students to write down “What I see or hear.” Without further instruction, second grade students tend to write … Continue reading →

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Taxonomy of Robotics Skills

Posted on January 10, 2014 by JohnHeffernan

I have been thinking about a how robotics skills intersect. This Venn diagram show my first stab at a taxonomy of robotics skills and how engineering, programming, and building intersect in educational robotics. This still needs work but I would … Continue reading →

Posted in Research, Robotics, Teaching | 2 Comments

Grade 3 Vehicle Challenge

Posted on December 12, 2013 by JohnHeffernan

Here are some photos from our grade 3 open ended challenge to design a WeDo vehicle.  I reviewed 3 ways to connect motor to wheels before they started: gears, pulleys, or direct drives. Students used the base WeDo kit. However, … Continue reading →

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Book Now Available!

Posted on November 18, 2013 by JohnHeffernan

https://www.createspace.com/4488315 Toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners are natural engineers. They love sand castles, blocks, fairy houses, and other projects that support their creative, fantasy play. We support this natural engineering instinct in preschool and kindergarten classrooms with blocks, LEGOs, sand and … Continue reading →

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4 Color Problem Case Study Results

Posted on October 4, 2013 by JohnHeffernan

I recently completed a exploratory research project that examined how learners respond to a difficult but motivating math problem.   I did a small case study, which compared adult math experts, advanced math students (one grade 1 and two grade 4), … Continue reading →

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Calculating Velocity

Posted on October 3, 2013 by JohnHeffernan

I had a great team of 2 boys this week who were the first to build a LEGO NXT Dragster.  I usually instruct kids to build a 10 foot course and time the car.  Well, I noticed they were setting … Continue reading →

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