Playing with coding in childhood

The volume (in Italian) by Luca Gilardi, Emanuele Micheli and Fiorella Operto, of Scuola di Robotica, Giocare con il coding nell’infanzia, Playing with coding in childhood, dedicated to educational robotics and coding in preschools, has been published by Carocci Editore.

The book is a working tool dedicated to children and preschool teachers, educators and future teachers, parents and families, with the aim of identifying reasons, ways, times and suitable environments to introduce coding and digital technologies, including educational robots, to preschool children. The text contains the theoretical foundations, legislation, pedagogical methodology and a series of already structured workshops that can support teachers and educators in the preparation of digital and robotic games with and without monitors (unplugged).

A guide  – the result of Scuola di Robotica’s twenty years of experience – on how to propose these activities in a fun and stimulating way, promoting creativity and cognitive development at the same time.

To buy it here

Content

Introduction
1. Introducing coding and educational robotics in kindergarten
Algorithmic thinking is part of the history of mankind/Computational thinking in pre-school/Comprehending how a computer (or a robot) works before programming it/And some types of algorithms suitable for pre-school education/Pattern recognition/ Algorithm debugging/Flowcharts.

2. Algorithmic-computational thinking and digital literacy
Digital skills and technologies/Algorithmic-computational thinking and creativity/Digital toys and smartphones for children: which ones, when and how/Integrating algorithmic-computational thinking into play.

3. Coding in preschool curricula
Mathematics, geometry and spatial intelligence/Algorithmic thinking and the sense of time/Social-emotional learning and soft skills/Some areas of knowledge.

4. Educational robots, software and digital tools to introduce coding
Benefits of educational robotics in pre-school/Materials: Educational robots and software/Use of the 3D printer.

5. The reality of pre-schools in Italy and Europe and digital education
Preschools in the Integrated Education and Training System from birth to 6 years/School, parents, children and coding/Preschools and coding programmes in Europe (3-5 years)/Next Generation EU and PNRR in Italy.

6. Games and workshops on coding and educational robotics with and without monitors
Games on spatial intelligence, time, balance, co-ordination/Concept of sequences and pattern recognition/Conditional structures and the concept of if, if/else in coding /Conditional concepts and cycles in coding/Devices with screens/Other algorithmic and computational games/Tinkering and robots/Munari’s useless machines/Assessment/A special focus on girls/ Preschool: online lessons?/A conclusion, which would like to be a beginning.

Glossary
Appendix
Coding in pre-schools in Italy: regulations and decrees
National indications and educational and teaching activities (2018)
National indications for pre-schools
Bibliography