Exploring a LOGO microworld : the first minutes

In his 1980 book, Mindstorms, Seymour Papert proposes using microworlds to help children learn mathematics like mathematicians. In a microworld like LOGO that is culturally rich in math, Papert claims that learning math can be as natural as learning French in France. Although the technology at the time was adequate, LOGO faltered due to improper implementation in the classroom. A newfound political interest in inquiry and computer literacy could breathe new life into Papert's vision. In contrast with the routinized approaches to introducing aspects of programming that, arguably, limited the trajectory for the implementation of programming in schools (Papert, 1980), this report explores what can and does happen in the first few minutes using a more open, student directed, approach to programming with high school physics students. A grounded theory approach led to connections with Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development.