Mindstorms
by Seymour Papert · first published 1980
72% recommend28% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Argues that programming, via Logo, is a way to explore math and learn to think, not an end in itself. Recommended for programmers, educators and anyone interested in education technology or better ways to teach.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Describes learning environments which allow children to master mathematical concepts through the use of computer assisted instruction.
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Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
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Being mad at people like this is what makes them shy away from math. This works in any discipline. Let's be helpful and loving, I promise it feels nice, even though high horses are nice too. "Mindstorms" by Seymour Papert is a good book regarding such issues.
…children are introduced to programming in. This is a rich topic undoubtedly. My 2 favorite starting resources are: - Learnable Programming by Bret Victor: http://worrydream.com/LearnableProgramming/ - Mindstorms by Seymour Papert: https://www.amazon.com/Mindstorms-Children-Computers-Powerfu...
on “Kids don't need tools for kids” ↗…generally a course text but very common reading among CS/AI students. Some of whom even read all the way to the end instead of just pretending to! The book I would most recommend software developers read is Mindstorms: Children, Computers and Powerful Ideas by Seymour Papert. It's a lot shorter. And probably more valuable. And one random side recommendation: The Daughter Of Time by Josephine Tey. It's a narrative…
on “A non-standard book list for software developers” ↗…Scratch and other similar tools is that instead of the teacher asking questions, the child learns to ask their own questions. If you are interested in learning more about this mindset, you should read Mindstorms by Seymour Papert (RIP). https://www.amazon.com/Mindstorms-Children-Computers-Powerfu... Scratch can be a "gateway drug" to languages that professional programmers use. The extensions/abstractions of…
on “How Scratch teaches kids to follow the hacker ethic” ↗Obviously these lists are subjective but a couple of examples would be: The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins (Evolution) MindStorms by Seymore Papert (Education) Structure of Scientific Revolution by Thomas Kuhn (Scientific Method/ Philosophy) Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas R. Hofstadter (Formal Systems) The Innovators Dilemma…
on “Summer Reading List” ↗…associations, and those that do will lead them astray. Metaphor is your friend. For reading, I recommend Bret Victor's essay on Learnable Programming: (http://worrydream.com/LearnableProgramming/) and Mindstorms by Seymour Papert (http://www.amazon.com/Mindstorms-Children-Computers-Powerful...).
on “Show HN: LearnStreet - The Best Place to Learn How to Code” ↗I don't have a direct answer for you (still researching), but if you haven't read Mindstorms by Seymour Papert [1], I highly recommend it. It's generally about how computing can help kids learn problem solving in a variety of contexts, including several bits about the LOGO programming language.…
on “Hypercard reimagined – an iOS app maker and private app store” ↗…http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wason_selection_task LMGTFY: https://www.google.com/search?q=pieget+constructive+learning https://www.google.com/search?q=curry+howard+isomorphism Amazon Links, no referral: http://www.amazon.com/Mindstorms-Children-Computers-Powerful... http://www.amazon.com/Peopleware-Productive-Projects-Teams-3... http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B8USS14/ref=wl_mb_recs_2_title http://www.amazon.com/Design-Essays-Computer-Scientist-ebook...
on “Programming is terrible – Lessons learned from a life wasted (2013) [video]” ↗…https://www.amazon.com/dp/0691141282/ Cartesian Economics https://www.amazon.com/dp/1616407395/ The 10,000 Year Explosion https://www.amazon.com/dp/0465020429/ The Righteous Mind https://www.amazon.com/dp/0307455777/ Mindstorms https://www.amazon.com/dp/0465046746/ – Philosophy – Tao Te Ching https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060812451/ Meditations https://www.amazon.com/dp/1545565678/ – Autobiography – Surely You're Joking, Mr…
on “Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?” ↗Mindstorms, by Seymour Papert, is well worth a read. Great book on education. If you like this kind of stuff, you'll also enjoy Bret Victor's Learnable programming [0] and probably all the other stuff he's published…
on “Logo and Learning (2015)” ↗…motion of a planet around a star or renders 3D graphics might improve your understanding of classical mechanics and any number of topics in math, just to name a few examples; cf. http://www.amazon.com/Mindstorms-Children-Computers-Powerful... http://www.amazon.com/Structure-Interpretation-Classical-Mec... http://www.amazon.com/Turtle-Geometry-Mathematics-Artificial... This is not to mention that learning how…
on “Lessons Learned: Please teach kids programming, Mr. President” ↗Read Seymour Paperts book Mindstorms http://www.amazon.com/Mindstorms-Children-Computers-Powerful... The main point is to have children do something they understand from the real world and have a physical relationship with. That way it…
on “Ask HN: Teaching programming to a 10 year old, and I'm kind of lost” ↗Seymore Paperts Mindstorms program. Read the book it's brilliant. http://www.amazon.com/Mindstorms-Children-Computers-Powerful...
on “Calculus distilled into hours” ↗I know I keep beating that horse. But Seymore Paperts http://www.papert.org/ book "Mindstorms: Children, Computers, And Powerful Ideas" http://www.amazon.com/Mindstorms-Children-Computers-Powerful... Is great
on “What if We Gave Toddlers an 'F' in Walking? (Why Math & Science Ed is Absurd)” ↗If you like this kind of anecdotes, you should read "Mindstorms" by Seymour Papert. It's more about maths than writing, but it's filled with examples showing how the fact that computers allow children to make mistakes, and then fix them, changes deeply the way to…
on “Show HN: An IDE for poets” ↗