In this resource you will learn how to plan and facilitate playful mathematics activities and exploratory play environments with coding toys.
When planning and facilitating playful mathematics activities with coding toys or other types of digital technologies in early childhood education and care (ECEC) institutions, it is important to consider several factors. Some factors are common to all types of coding toys, while other factors are related to specific coding toys.
In the video, Elena Severina from Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL) shows how to create a play environment that invites children to explore and play with coding toys and mathematical ideas. Elena uses the playful spiderweb framework as a thinking tool to keep track of the different components in the planning phase.
This resource is one of several resources developed by the Norwegian research project DiCoTe.
Aim: To raise educators' awareness of how they can plan and facilitate for playful mathematics activities and exploratory play environments with coding toys. Useful for: Early childhood in-service teachers, early childhood preservice teachers, and university teachers in early childhood teacher education. Recommended time use: About 45 minutes, follwed by trying the activities with children. Tips for using this resource: 1. Watch the video. 2. Discuss the reflection questions, if possible in groups. 3. Try the activities with children. 4. Discuss and evaluate the activity with your colleagues afterwards.
- Coding toy and coding - Plugged and unplugged activities - "Playful mathematics activities" refers to planned mathematics activities with a playful approach - Bishop's fundamental mathematical activities Designing and Locating - The playful spiderweb framework - Functions
Video
In the video we meet Christiane Thømmes from Kleivane kindergarten and children from Havhesten kindergarten who are coding the robots Blue-Bot, Rugged Robot, Cubetto and Kubo. There are also many other relevant robots to choose.
While watching the video, write down key aspects of planning and facilitating activities with robots. A printout of the playful spiderweb framework can be helpful in structuring your notes. We recommend using two different colors to distinguish between aspects related to Designing and Locating.
Questions for reflection
Individually:
- Note two things that caught your attention when you watched the video.
In groups:
- Present your thoughts to the other group members. Discuss what considerations are important to take into account when planning an activity with a coding toy (e.g. a robot) in ECEC.
- The example (in the video) where the robot Cubetto draws a geometrical shape, illustrates working with Designing. What other of Bishop's mathematical activities can children experience by coding a geometric figure or pattern with a coding toy? What role is important for educators to take, to support the children? Would another robot be better suited for this purpose?
- The images below are an example of a play environment that invites children to explore using coding toys. What would you emphasise if you were to create a similar play environment? What other of Bishop's mathematical activitites can such a play environment stimulate in children?
- Discuss what happens to the aim when you use the playful spiderweb framework to plan, facilitate, observe or evaluate a playful mathematics activity.
Plan a playful mathematics activity or a play environment with coding toys where the focus is on Bishop's Designing or Locating. Facilitate for children's or educators' exploration and play with the robot. We recommend to use the playful spiderweb framework in the planning.
In the video, the robot Cubetto was programmed to create a rectangle. Plan an programming activity (plugged or unplugged) where a coding toy or other material is used to create a geometric shape. The playful spiderweb framework can be used in the planning process.
Share your plan with a colleague and discuss how the choices related to the different components influence each other. Discuss which of Bishop's mathematical activities could be highlighted in the activity.
Bishop, A. J. (1988). Mathematics education in its cultural context. Educational studies in mathematics, 19(2), 179-191.
Føsker, L. I. R. (2019). Grip rommet! Barns utvikling av romforståelse og barnehagelærerens systematiske arbeid med det. In T. Fosse (Ed.), Rom for matematikk - i barnehagen (pp. 81-114). Caspar Forlag.
Sand, A.-L., Skovbjerg, H. M., Jensen, J.-O., Jørgensen, H. H. & Bekker, T. (2023). Can I design for play? How pedagogues design for children's play situations in school, The Design Journal, 26(4), 536-557.
Solem, I. & Reikerås, E. K. L. (2017). Det matematiske barnet (3rd Ed.). Caspar forlag.
Corresponding authors
Department of Early Childhood Education