%0 Journal Article %1 Noss02 %A Hoyles, Celia %A Noss, Richard %A Adamson, Ross %D 2002 %J Journal of Educational Computing Research %K abstraction cscl-2005 games learning mathgamespatterns microculture microworld microworlds mythesis platform playground situated superstructure tools toontalk %T Rethinking the Microworld Idea %U http://baywood.metapress.com/link.asp?id=u6x90m6hmu1qv36x %V 27 %X In this article we reflect on the meaning and evolution of the microworld idea. We point out a crucial distinction between user manipulation and modification at three distinct but mutually dependent levels--the interface, superstructural, and platform levels. We exploit a case study of two 8-year-old girls playing and rebuilding a simple video game, to argue for the importance of ease of interplay between these levels. We reflect on the ways in which newly-created alternatives to textual forms of representation are redefining the utility and power of microworlds, and offering advantages (as well as disadvantages) for mathematical learning in the sense of understanding inference and mechanism--how things work and why.

@article{Noss02, abstract = {In this article we reflect on the meaning and evolution of the microworld idea. We point out a crucial distinction between user manipulation and modification at three distinct but mutually dependent levels--the interface, superstructural, and platform levels. We exploit a case study of two 8-year-old girls playing and rebuilding a simple video game, to argue for the importance of ease of interplay between these levels. We reflect on the ways in which newly-created alternatives to textual forms of representation are redefining the utility and power of microworlds, and offering advantages (as well as disadvantages) for mathematical learning in the sense of understanding inference and mechanism--how things work and why.}, added-at = {2007-01-06T13:13:38.000+0100}, author = {Hoyles, Celia and Noss, Richard and Adamson, Ross}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/2672bb75d2de20a4417c82892cee86f6c/yish}, citeulike-article-id = {478798}, comment = {Origins of Microworlds: "Hoyles (1993) charts its evolution from an AI description of a simple and constrained aspect of the real world to part of a knowledge domain which is changing and growing and which has epistemological significance. Laurie Edwards's (1995) extensive review of microworlds similarly stresses knowledge as a central element, and makes a useful distinction between structural and functional views of the idea." (p 2) Programming is problematic: "Yet in the years since the microworld idea has taken hold, it is precisely this point -— the idea of children programming computers -— which has become so problematic. For one thing, there are practical objections -— programming takes too much time in what is already a crowded mathematics curriculum; programming is too hard (for teachers as well as students); programming diverts attention from the underlying knowledge goals. If the last point is true then there clearly is no place for programming, at least within an explicitly educational setting (like school) where the objective is to learn mathematics, say -— not programming." (p 4) Construction within bounderies: "As researchers, let alone educators, we have to respect and constrain diversity." meaning, we need to find the delicate balance between providing too many opertunities for exploration and too few. Platform and superstructure: "By platform, we mean the base level at which it is possible for users (rather than professional programmers) to interact. A platform would include high level programming languages but not for example machine code. In most cases, users interact with the platform because the designer expects them to do so. [...] Superstructure, on the other hand, describes the objects in the microworld and ways to manipulate them. [...] The point is that the kinds of interactions which users’ experience and the HCI tools they employ are a subject for the designer, and determine to a great extent what activities and experiences the user has as she interacts with the program. For most users with most software, there is only superstructure." Mode of interaction: "There is therefore an interaction barrier: the things you have to do to gain a sense of the microworld's mechanism may be substantially different from the things you do within the microworld." Users expect to manipulate graphical or iconic interfaces, not code. "Finding ways to break down this distinction may turn out to represent a significant advance for mathematical learning with digital technologies." Grain size: "What is the appropriate grain size for objects and relationships at the superstructural level? What level of complexity is appropriate for users; how far, in other words, should be the distance between superstructural elements and the platform on which they are built?" What is ToonTalk: "The fundamental idea behind ToonTalk is that source code is animated. (ToonTalk is so named because one is "“talking" in (car)toons.) This does not mean that it takes a visual programming language and replaces some static icons by animated icons. It means that animation is the means of communicating to both humans and computers the entire meaning of a program. Program sources are not static collections of text or even text and pictures, but are animated, tactile, enhanced with sound effects, and clearly physical. The programs of ToonTalk are encapsulated in the actions of robots which are trained by example to perform a role. The conditions, which determine subsequent performance of the actions at run time, can be generalised or specialised after the training has taken place. Details of how ToonTalk works, its design principles and some applications can be found at http://www.toontalk.com/" - Behaviours, which can be transfered. Culture: "Because of the culture we had developed in our classrooms of changing games, the girls began to think about how they could change the game. The simplest changes they could make involved changing colours and sizes of objects at the interface level." Me: Is the language you program in ever the language you talk about programming? Platform vs. Superstructure is a useful distinction, but not always so clear.}, interhash = {622357f025b92080a9614465daca3bfb}, intrahash = {672bb75d2de20a4417c82892cee86f6c}, journal = {Journal of Educational Computing Research}, keywords = {abstraction cscl-2005 games learning mathgamespatterns microculture microworld microworlds mythesis platform playground situated superstructure tools toontalk}, priority = {2}, timestamp = {2008-05-28T13:09:04.000+0200}, title = {Rethinking the Microworld Idea}, url = {http://baywood.metapress.com/link.asp?id=u6x90m6hmu1qv36x}, volume = 27, year = 2002 }