The Playful Coding Project
Early Mastery - 21th century literacy - Learn2Code & Code2Learn - How to playfully motivate school kids to master computer programing, with reference 2014-1-ES01-KA201-004462 is a two year project financed by the European Commission which stated in September 2014 and end in August 2016.
Project Roots
The Early Mastery project is based on a long US-Scandinavian tradition in involving kids in experimentation with different forms of computing, such as coding, robotics and LEGO Mindstorms. The tradition has almost exclusively been involving non-formal youth settings, such as Computer Clubhouses, or special hubs of playfully technological initiative by educational technology stakeholders. While this tradition, based on the constructionist learning approach, has recently made its way into formal schooling in the US, it has never reached European primary and secondary education.
The introduction of playful coding to formal youth education in Europe has been thus, so in itself a dramatic innovation, taking seriously the Commission’s call for rethinking learning in the Europe 2020 strategy and taking this call to a practical, experimental level.
Therefore, playful coding has not taken place in isolation from school topics, activities or real-life. Playful coding is a transversal competence at the same level as ICT and entrepreneurship.
The project has developed, delivered and documented playful coding activities and scenarios integrated in different school subjects, but in particular integrated in cross-subject projects in the schools.
Early mastery includes universities and schools, from across the EU. We range from large city centre institutions to small rural schools. Some of our schools are bilingual, some work in minority languages, some have large numbers of immigrant and refugee children. The challenges are different in each place, but the playful ethos and the love of computing is the same.
The Playful Coding team
UdigiGital.edu (SP)
UdigiGital.edu group is a multidisciplinary initiative of a group of teachers and researchers of the University of Girona that decided to address their efforts to design activities and workshops mixing technology, sciences and arts by using current technological tools (robotics, augmented reality, programming video games, digital art, astronomy, etc.). The intention is always to design attractive and enriching experiences that help to stimulate and develop critical, innovative and analytical thinking. As the coordinator of the project, this team is the responsible of we have been the overall responsible for management and results of the project, performing ourthis coordination role in collaboration with the rest of the project’s experienced partners.
- Xavier Cufi (lead partner)
- Jordi Freixenet
- Eduard Muntaner
- Marta Peracaula
- Mariona Niell
- Meritxell Estebanell
- Mireia Frigola
- Anna Ferrarons
Escola Veïnat (SP)
With an 85% of students with socioeconomic and sociocultural problems, Veïnat School has one of the highest rates of immigrant students in the province. The school has got 226 students from Kindergarten (from 3 to 5 years old) to Primary school (from 6 to 12 years old). The whole teaching staff is involved in all kind of activities developed in the school and it is highly motivated to participate in innovation programs. Escola Veïnat mission is to give its pupils the proper tools to be able to solve different situations in their real lives. The team works through the competences to reach all its aims. Their primary role in the project has been to plan, carry out and produce raw material from the project experimentation.
- Ferran Jambert (lead partner)
- Anna Roura
- Esther Villarroya
- Mireia Pomar
Technology High School "Constantin Ianculescu” (RO)
Technology High School "Constantin Ianculescu”, Cârcea, has got primary school students as well as secondary school pupils. They prepare their students for their adult life as entrepreneurs from their first days in school tilluntil high school. OurTheir primary role in the project has been to plan, carry out and produce raw material from the project experimentation.
- Delia Pirvu (lead partner)
- Cioaca Norica
- Dan Antoanela
- Lupu Dorel
- Mitrea Maria
Universitatea Din Craiova (RO)
Faculty of Automation, Computers and Electronics (A.C.E.) at the University of Craiova prepares and trains young engineers, aiming to provide them a fundamental theoretical and a practical-applied training in areas such as: Computers and Information Technology, Systems Engineering, Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering, Mechatronics and Robotics. They are in first line of finding out the expectation and also the educational needs of the youngsters, particularly in the field of computer programming and computer science. WeThey have been responsible for the capturing and documentation of the project practice and for the elaboration of the documentation into the planned outcomes.
- Marius Marian(lead partner)
- Eugen Ganea
- Elvira Popescu
- Dan Selisteanu
- Dorin Popescu
- Laura Coravu
Ysgol Bro Hyddgen (UK)
Ysgol Bro Hyddgen is an "all-through" school in Machynlleth with children from 3-18. The school’ss ICT department is a sector leading department in its innovation with eLearning and developing and creating resources which are used in the majority of schools in North Wales due to their success in getting pupils to reach their true potential in the subject. OurTheir primary role in the project has been to plan, carry out and produce raw material from the project experimentation. In addition, wethey have been the driver of the considerable community interaction along the project.
- Tomi Rowlands (lead partner)
- Tegid Owen
- Erin Good
- Gwennan Philips
- Samantha Roberts
Aberystwyth University (UK)
Aberystwyth University is a higher education institution on the west coast of the UK, in Wales. The University has around 12,000 students on both undergraduate and postgraduate programs of study, within 16 Departments. Computer Science at Aberystwyth University has a long track record of outreach to the local community and schools. WeThey have been responsible for the capturing and documentation of the project practice and for the elaboration of the documentation into the planned outcomes. WeThey have worked with local primary and secondary schools notably Plascrug School in Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Penglais and Penweddig secondary schools in Aberyswtyth and with Aberystwyth Robotics after-school Club (hosted at the University).
- Hannah Dee (lead partner)
- Wayne Aubrey
- Amanda Clare
- Mark Neal
- Nigel Hardy
Esebel SRL team (IT)
Esebel SRL bornis as a spin-off company connected to the University of Perugia and it works on Industrial Research, Innovation and Technological Transfer. WeThey have been responsible for the capturing and documentation of the project practice and for the elaboration of the documentation into the planned outcomes. During all the project, itthey have collaborated with the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science and the Department of Educational Science of the University of Perugia and with several schools, in particular, with Instituto Comprensivo Perugia 13.
- Valentina Poggioni (lead partner)
- Alfredo Milani
- Caterina Lombardi
- Martina Sabatini
- Andrea Chiancone
- Stefano Marcugini
Institute of Technology of Le Creusot (Université de Bourgogne) (FR)
The IUT (University Institute of Technology) at "Le Creusot" is a component of the University of Burgundy, which trains technicians in electrical engineering, computer science, mechanical, instrumentation and measurements. The team is part of the Le2i laboratory, a signal processing and image laboratory, vision and robotics, medical imaging, installed at the IUT Le Creusot. The French team has been working in collaboration with primary teachers at "La Charmille" school, , a FabLab space, and "Léon Blum" high school.We They have been responsible for the capturing and documentation of the project practice and for the elaboration of the documentation into the planned outcomes.
- Olivier Aubreton (lead partner)
- Ouadi Beya
- Guillaume Lemaître
- Joan Massich