Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Proceedings of the 2024 Symposium on Learning, Design and Technology

Publisher

Association for Computing Machinery

Publication Date

6-21-2024

Journal Article Version

Version of Record

First Page

47

Last Page

56

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Abstract

This paper explores the design of computational toys and kits for young children (ages 4-7) as tools for learning integrated mathematical, spatial, and computational thinking concepts. Specifically, we examine how the design features of the toys and kits represent the concepts of rotation on a point and spatial orientation of the agent. We examine toys and kits sold commercially, developed through research, and used in early childhood classrooms. Our findings indicate that the mathematical and spatial concepts are overlooked in some designs. Prior research examined toys for their affordances related to computational thinking, the present study contributes to understanding of how these toys and kits have the potential to foster foundational mathematics and spatial skills. We discuss implications for design of toys and kits as well as recommendations for future research.

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