Book Review Part 1: Mindstorms, by Seymour Papert

Book Review:  Mindstorms. Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas.  Seymour Papert
Second edition 1993, Publisher: Basic Books (division of Harper Collins), 230 pages, $13, ISBN 0 -465 – 04674 – 6. Non-Fiction

Book Review, part 1
Although portions of this book feel dated (there have been a lot of changes in computers, the Internet, and education, even since the 2^nd edition), it still presents a powerful argument for the use of technology and, specifically, coding in education.

Even back in the 1970’s, when Papert was first writing this book, he saw the need for significant change in education.  His view was that students need to learn to use technology, and this use will create success in all other subjects.  “LOGO is a means that can be used by educators to support the development of new ways of thinking and learning.”  (Mindstorms.  Introduction to the second edition)

I need to preface my thoughts about this book with the comment that, though I have used LOGO as part of a graduate course in Geometry and again, more recently, as part of an exploration in another graduate course, I am not a LOGO expert.  I have not seen LOGO being used in classrooms, and have not used it myself.  That being said, having read the first half of Papert’s book, I am persuaded that I need to take a strong look at what and how I am teaching to find ways to incorporate LOGO, or some other form of coding, in my instruction.  I would go further to say that I need to influence other educators to do the same.

Seymour Papert was a world-renowned computer scientist, mathematician, and educator.  Besides working as a researcher, while at MIT he created the Learning Research Lab (MIT Media Lab).   It was while he was at MIT that he created LOGO, “as a tool to improve the way children think and solve problems.” (Wikipedia)   Papert worked with Piaget, building on Piaget’s learning theories to develop his “constructionism” theory of learning.  Papert’s credentials are clearly beyond question.

Papert’s style is, overall, easy to read.  He writes as a teacher, explaining the processes and giving examples to support his thinking.  He explains LOGO itself, so the reader can understand how the program works, and then gives multiple examples of how students have used it to develop their own thinking and learning.

One statement that struck me as I was reading is, “Many… people have not completely given up on learning, but are still severely hampered by entrenched negative beliefs about their capacities.”  As a math teacher, how many times have I heard, from parents, students, and even colleagues that they are not good at math?  The core belief that they never could and, therefore, never can learn math.  The culture of being either smart or dumb, in whatever subject.   There is often disconnect between the learning of math skills and their application to anything real.  As Papert calls it, “dissociated learning”.

In the first part of the book, besides explaining how students use LOGO in their learning, Papert makes a compelling argument for how LOGO becomes a tool for increasing students’ self-confidence, moving through failure, building connections, and internalizing understanding.  LOGO can be used to create the association to learning that educators so often struggle to find.  It is a tool that can be used to develop authentic problem-solving skills.  It can also be used to encourage student collaboration for better understanding.

In this 21^st century world where students are more interested in their phones, or going on the Internet than learning in a classroom, I’m interested to read how Papert builds on his discussion of LOGO in the second portion of the book.  Engaging students and preparing them for success is essential for all educators.