LOGO-L> What is learned with Logo?

[Tom Woods <woods@moose.ncia.net>]

Chuck Shavit writes:
>Do any of the readers have references to research that demonstrate the
>advantage of using computer programming as a way to enrich the math and
>science skills of students?

Brian Harvey cited Clements. If you're interested, look at:

Clements, Douglas H., & Merideth, Julie Sarama (1993). Research on logo:
Effects and efficacy. Journal of Computing in Childhood Education, 4, 263-290.

I have searched for empirical evidence of an effect of logo on achievement,
but have not found any. We really do need some quality studies in this vein.
Sadly, most of what is said about logo is based on speculation and intuition
rather than hard science.

At the risk of preaching to the converted, I'd like to offer my own
speculation based on my personal programming experience. Programming a
computer to do something is one big problem that needs to be solved. It
requires creativity, decision-making, experimentation, and deep
metacognitive thinking. It requires organization and planning. It promotes
both convergent and divergent thinking. It fosters a very interesting mix of
concrete and abstract thought. In greater or lesser degrees, these are all
important human attributes, and they raising the level of these cognitive
skills should be a major concern of education.

I appreciate computer programming (in whatever language I happen to be
using) for its effect on my thought processes. Programming is both thinking
and feeling. It is like creating a work of art, or composing a symphony
where beauty is achieved when you get all the parts working together
perfectly. It's also like writing in that you use a language, limited by
vocabulary and syntax, to convey something meaningful. When I program, I
become totally absorbed; I lose my sense of time; and what I feel when I
finally succeed at a task I've labored over is a rush of pure unadulterated
exhilaration. 

A problem with programming as a school activity is that it requires enormous
amounts of time. Even after spending hours on a project, you may have
absolutely nothing tangible to show for it. Schools I have seen are not
designed to take advantage of such intangibles. Then too, as Brian says,
programming may not be right for everybody. Trying to "teach" logo to
everyone may be unrealistic, but having it in a classroom, available to
those who would benefit from it might be a spark that starts a forest fire.

I have often wondered whether it was programming which helped form the way I
think, or whether I was drawn to programming because of the way I think. For
now, it is an open question.
 
Tom

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