IU project to understand how children learn about complex systems

I got to see some of this when I visited Indiana last year.  It’s really interesting — young children (kindergarten) play at understanding systems by exploring how bees work.

The National Science Foundation has awarded over $999,000 to three Indiana University faculty members for a unique effort intended to shed light on how children best learn about complex systems and how new technologies can best serve that learning.

The NSF is granting the money to Kylie Peppler and Joshua Danish, both assistant professors in the Learning Sciences program at the IU School of Education, and Armin Moczek, associate professor in the Department of Biology in the IU College of Arts and Sciences. Specifically, the project will develop electronically enhanced puppets, or “e-puppets,” that allow students to simulate biological phenomena such as honeybees collecting nectar or ants scavenging for food. Work on “Design and Implementation (DIP) BioSim: Developing a Wearable Toolkit for Teaching Science Through Embodied Play” begins immediately.

via Federal grant funding IU project to understand how children learn about complex systems: IU News Room: Indiana University.