Constructionism: MicroBit

Constructionism utilizes a constructivist approach and allows students to learn through experiences of designing and constructing a range of products or solutions (Donaldson, 2014). This involves providing “Maker Spaces” where students have the accessibility to explore these ideas (Donaldson, 2014). In the tutorial we revisited MicroBits and were able to more deeply engage with their uses. It was amazing how a small piece of hardware held so many opportunities and possibilities. We were met with a practical problem of being able to water a plant whilst away from home and came up with a range of creative solutions using the MicroBit. Once coded, the MicroBit was able to use sensors and move and react accordingly to water our imaginary plant.

Video of our plant watering system using a MicroBit.

FOSTERING CREATIVITY:

“People don’t get ideas, they make them” (Donaldson, 2014).

Constructionism allows learning processes to foster creativity through exploration and construction (Donaldson, 2014). This is evident through my experience using the MicroBit as it required a lot of brainstorming in the design process and then amending aspects of the design once we started constructing. The collaborative aspect of using the MicroBit also fosters creativity as we were able to build upon our ideas (Sentance, Waite, Hodges, MacLeod & Yeomans, 2017). Similarly, the open-ended nature of the task allowed for more creative solutions (Sentance, 2017). Providing these sorts of maker spaces for students allows them to engage more with constructionist-type tasks, allowing them to frequently exercise their creativity.

MicroBits can be used in the classroom for many Science and technology lessons as the constructionist approach directly relates to design and production in the science curriculum (NESA, 2017).

An example of student creativity using MicroBits: Motion sensors cause the scarecrow to move.

PEDAGOGICAL ISSUES:

Whilst MicroBits are a fantastic tool, they definitely may be out of many teachers’ comfort zones and teachers need to be capable and confident in its use before utilising it for students. In the tutorial, the coding was already made for us, making the process far easier and engaging as even copying the code was difficult for myself with very limited coding experience. For younger students, the coding can be completed or facilitated by the teacher, using student ideas. Students still get full autonomy over the design process and are able to be involved in the coding. Older students can begin to create more complex codes themselves.

Video of the coding used to create our plant watering system.

The MicroBit as a tool to facilitate constructionism in the classroom and to create a maker space is highly beneficial. There are so many possibilities and educational opportunities that can come from its use, and I am very excited to use it more and in my own future classroom.

MicroBit Site

REFERENCES:

Donaldson, J. (2014). The Maker Movement and the rebirth of Constructionism. Hybrid Pedagogy. Available at: https://hybridpedagogy.org/constructionism-reborn/

NSW Education Standards Authority. (2017). Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus. https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/k-10/learning-areas/science/science-and-technology-k-6-new-syllabus

Sentance, S., Waite, J., Hodges, S., MacLeod, E., & Yeomans, L. (2017, March). " Creating Cool Stuff" Pupils' Experience of the BBC micro: bit. In Proceedings of the 2017 ACM SIGCSE technical symposium on computer science education (pp. 531-536).