(2017-02-03) Resnick The Seeds That Seymour Sowed Mit Media Lab

The Seeds That Seymour Sowed – MIT MEDIA LAB

By Mitchel Resnick

Seymour Papert’s ideas about children, computers, and learning inspired so many people, in so many different ways. How can we keep Seymour’s ideas alive

An important element of the story is that Nicky was given time and encouragement to follow his interests and curiosity. He wasn’t given a specific goal or specific task, as is typical in many classroom activities

When the motor on Nicky’s car fell off and vibrated across the table, Seymour and others at the workshop encouraged him not to see it as a failure, but as an opportunity for new explorations. Seymour recognized the importance of taking advantage of the unexpected

the problem is not in Seymour’s seeds, but in creating the right conditions for them to grow

thinking around four core concepts, captured in four words: Projects. Passion. Peers. Play.

Projects

projects over problems

Passion

building on their interests and passions

Peers

samba schools bring together people of different ages and experience levels. For Seymour, this type of peer-based learning was at the core of a Learning Society.

Play

play involved experimenting, taking risks, testing the boundaries, and iteratively adapting

with problems in the context of meaningful projects