Chapter 6: Powerful Ideas in Mind-Size Bites In this chapter, Papert challenges the common perception of adults on how factual knowledge and intuitions are used or should be used by children to come to the point of a notion of math or physics or any other exact science. The author is confident that the educational world of children has been shaped by the practices of adults who have found an easier way to teach and measure concrete knowledge neglecting the value of intuitions. Papert believes that a good strategy is to consider learning a new topic the same way you are meeting new people. Based on these principles, the Turtle in LOGO environment has been designed to “allow children to be deliberate and conscious in bringing a kind of learning with which they are comfortable and familiar to bear on math and physics” (p. 137). At the same time, Papert does not propose computers to be a panacea for all the problems by default. On the opposite, he advises that computers would improve the current practices only under certain conditions when old traditions would be reviewed and reconsidered in line with what new technologies, such as computers, can bring to education. …show more content…
Here, Papert reminds us once again of the power of Piagetian learning happened outside of the traditional learning environments and without prominent equations or measurements. Building new knowledge on intuitions and abstract thinking seems to be much appreciated by Papert. Nevertheless, sometimes “intuition cannon be trusted” (p. 144), therefore, there is a definite need to improve the child’s understanding of the self by helping him to make a connection between equations, so-called formal thinking, and intuitions enhanced by expectations of any