TL;DR: This week, a chance meeting with Professor Mitchel Resnick who worked on LEGO Mindstorms sparked a childhood passion revival. Prof Resnick's insights from MIT's Lifelong Kindergarten emphasized purpose-driven, passion-fueled learning for kids. This aligns with Give.Asia's mission, prompting a shift to focus on tech tools that match children's passions for more engaging giving experiences.
Encounter with Professor Resnick who worked on LEGO Mindstorms reshapes childhood passion.
The 4Ps—Projects, Passion, Peer, Play—form the foundation of holistic education.
Aligning tech tools with children's passions is crucial for sustained engagement.
Give.Asia pivots to tech-driven solutions, focusing on kids' passions for impactful giving.
This week, something truly awesome happened that left me feeling inspired—a rare encounter that made me think, "I want to be part of this." In my 39 years, this ranks among those unique moments, and I couldn't resist sharing my fanboy experience.
Like any kid, I fell head over heels for LEGO, losing myself in the joy of crafting with hand-me-down sets. Building robots inspired by "Mechwarriors" became my passion, especially once I got my hands on the LEGO "Technic" series. However, getting the "Mindstorms" series became a quest. Undeterred, I cobbled together makeshift mechanical switches from DIY kits and spare parts from Tamiya model car kits.
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Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas is a book by computer scientist Seymour Papert (https://mindstorms.media.mit.edu/)
Meeting Professor Mitchel Resnick, who happened to work on the Mindstorms series, was a star-struck moment for me. Learning about its origins from the Lifelong Kindergarten group at MIT was fascinating, guided by the 4Ps—Projects, Passion, Peer, and Play.
The 4P guiding principal behind all Lifelong Kindergarten projects
What truly resonated was their belief that when a child has a purpose fueled by passion, along with tools for learning through play and collaboration with friends, the natural outcome is a well-executed project and time well spent.
At Give.Asia, we've been on a quest to engage the next generation in giving from a young age. Perhaps our approach was amiss—we were trying to create activities and programs to encourage their participation. Instead, we should be focusing on building tech tools that enable kids to explore giving in alignment with their passions.
In the wise words of Professor Michel Resnick…
Kids don't want it to be easy; they want it to be interesting.
P.S. In the world of cool creations for kids, Professor Resnick and his Lifelong Kindergarten team also brought us Scratch, an awesome tool for children to dive into the wonders of coding. If you're keen to champion their cause, explore Scratch Foundation and contribute to the nonprofit. Your support fuels their mission to nurture the creativity of more children!
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awesome
Kids don't want it to be easy; they want it to be interesting.
I like this.