How do you measure Etoys success?

Many of us have seen first-hand how Etoys can engage and inspire children, but when talking to school administers and journalists, they all want to know one thing: where's the proof?

They suggest giving the kids a test before, then after, and measure the progress. I've personally never seen how to do this and keep within the spirit of Etoys. They suggest action research projects, which pretty much amount to formalized anecdotes.

What I usually say at this point is:

If you took twenty kids and sent them to some kind of empowerment summer camp, then the following term these same twenty increased the grade-point-average by a full point, where their peers did not, would that be success?

What other ways of describing success have you used? Does Etoys fit at all within the standardized test paradigm, or is it simply too experiential, like music or visual arts.

In my opinion ...

** Etoys has been extremely successful. There are many, many examples of inspiring work around the world.

I came to VPRI's attention because of my work at Waveplace, where last year we trained many teachers and kids in some difficult places, like Haiti and Nicaragua. I've lived and breathed Etoys, teaching adults & kids, experiencing first hand what it's like to have a whole room hitting the same stumbling block at the same time. But here's the thing ... with the right mentoring they *get through* the stumbling blocks and reach the "light bulb" moment when they experience mastery and become hooked.

Our first-hand experience has been overwhelmingly positive. But never mind words ... what's missing from this talk are the children themselves:

Have a look here: http://waveplace.com/locations/nicaragua/movie.jsp?id=80 (six minutes)

or here: http://waveplace.com/locations/nicaragua/movie.jsp?id=94 (thirty seconds)

The look on the girl's face in the longer video (around 5:32) really tells the whole story for me. Transformation.


** Etoys is more than visual programming for kids. Squeakland's focus is to teach *with* Etoys.

Towards that end we've begun work on a full-spectrum course that uses Etoys to help teach what teachers already need to teach: language arts, social studies, science, math, etc. We want to help the whole school, not just the computer lab.

More here: http://confluence.immuexa.com/display/sq/Squeakland+Courseware

and here: http://www.etoysillinois.org/library.php


** Etoys is very effective for younger children (6 to 12 years old)

Our recent focus has been largely for this age range, as we believe Etoys has benefits over Alice and Scratch. It's also the age when the most profound transformations can occur, when creative problem solving can be reinforced in ways that last through a child's whole education.


What do you think?

Hmm... which existing tests can be used to measure general problem solving aptitude? Something a teacher may have heard of.

We're currently designing the new Squeakland course, which includes three units on mathematics. Your UK breakdown (Visualizing, Representing, Generalizing, Analyzing, Systematic Approach) sounds very interesting.

By any chance would you be able to attend Squeakfest? (http://squeakfest.org)

Tim

tvreeland wrote:

The only way that I can think of to assess problem-solving skills in the way that's being discussed here is through long-term assessment. A portfolio that allows students (and the teacher) to document their growth would (hopefully) show the improvements in critical thinking. Anything that is more "long-term" process-oriented assessment screams out for portfolios. I teach in Massachusetts and have been looking closely at maths curriculum in the UK. They break down problem-solving into various stages including: Visualizing, Representing, Generalizing, Analyzing, Systematic Approach, etc. I am working on designing a number of units, each centered around one of those topics. Portfolios will be the main form of summative assessment throughout each unit. Having found Squeak/Etoys, I'm currently not getting enough sleep because I'm thinking about ways to incorporate them into my practice.

Unfortunately, no. I can't attend. I'll share what I come up with though.

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Great Doubt is the Beginning of Great Enlightenment.