InspiringKids’Curiosity
ZhangFei,orAlex,isthecurriculumdesignleaderofTULLL.AgraduateofTsinghuaUniversityin2008,Alexhasabachelor’sdegreeinautomationandamaster’sdegreeinbusinessadministration.Awiderangeofhobbiesandinterestsandhisrichworkexperienceinmultipleareaspreparedhimtobeaqualifiedteacher.Startingfromtheautumnsemesterof2014,Alexbecameafull-timeteacherintheprimaryschoolattachedtoTsinghuaUniversity,alongwithhissix-year-oldsonwhobeganhisstudiesthere,wherehedesignedcurriculumstoteachbasicknowledgeofroboticsprogrammingforstudents.InApril2016,AlexjoinedtheteamofTULLLandwasresponsiblefordesigningascientificcurriculum,whichhecalled“unpluggedprogrammingclass.”Thecurriculumseriesisforfirst-gradeprimaryschoolstudentswhoareencouragedtousesimplifiedtools,insteadofcomputersorexpensiveteachinginstruments,tolearnknowledgeaboutcomputerscienceingames.
Howtoteachprogrammingwithoutcomputers?Alexdevisedateachingscenariocalled“PresidentialMeeting.”ItisagameespeciallydesignedforchildrentounderstandthatintheInternetera,wehavetoshareinformationwithotherstomakeourlifemoreconvenientbutalsoweneedtoprotectourprivacy,givingthekidsaconceptofinformationsecurityandcryptographicprotocols.
Alexhadtoworkabittogainthekids’attentioninitially.“Today,wearegoingtotalkaboutabigissue!”PupilsimmediatelyturnedtheirheadstoAlexwaitingforthebignewswithcuriosityandexcitement.
ThestorystartedfromtheFacebookdataleakscandal.AlexgaveabriefintroductionabouttheworldlargestsocialmediacompanyFacebook,andthedisturbingnewsreportthatthedataofmorethan50millionFacebookuserswereinappropriatelyusedbyaBritishdataanalysiscompanyinactivitiesallegedlyconnectedwithU.S.PresidentDonaldTrumpduringhis2016campaign.Themisuseoftheprivatedatawasreportedasanabuseofuserprivacy.
ForthestorytellerAlex,challengeslayateverystep.Hehadtobereadyforallkindsofchildren’squestions.“WhydoesFacebookhavesomuchuserdata?”“Whatisthedatausedfor?”“Howdoesthedataanalysiscompanygetaccesstothedataandhowdoesitpredictpeople’sbehaviors?”“Whydothepresidentialcampaignteamsneedthisdata?”“Howareusersbeingcontrolled?”
Inearlyeducation,thepriorityistoprotectchildren’sinherentcuriosityandmaintaintheirenthusiasmforlearning,meanwhileempoweringthemwithscientificlearningmethods.Teacherstherebyhavetoprepareforallquestionsfromkids,demandingaknowledgeableandversatileteacherwithabroadknowledgeofvariousdisciplinesandin-depthknowledgeofeducationandpsychology.
ProblemSolvinginCreativeWays
Whenthekidsunderstoodthedetailsofthedataleakscandal,theywereshocked,“OhmyGod!Myparentsmaybeindanger.Evil-doerscanstealtheirpersonaldataandourfamilycanbemanipulated.”
NowitwastimeforAlextoposethebigquestion:howtoprotectourprivacy?Alexdiscussestheconceptofinformationsecurityandcryptographicprotocolswithkids.Children’sanswersvariedincludingusingciphercode,fingerprintlock,andfaceID.Somesuggesteddeliveringtheironlinepurchasestoothers’houses,someconsidereddeletingtheirWeChataccountsoreventhrowingawaytheircellphones.
Alexkeptonasking,then“howcanweordertakeoutfood,orcallataxiontheDidiApp,oruseGPSinaforeigncountrywithoutknowingtheirlanguage,orusemobilepaymentsforshopping?”
KidssoonrealizedthatintheeraoftheInternet,nobodycouldbeisolatedfromthenetwork;inotherwords,noonecouldlivealifewithoutinformationexchanges.Howtoprotectourcriticalinformationanddatawhileallowingittobetterserveus?
Alexsuccessfullyintroducedthekidstogames.Hecreatedasimulationinwhicheverychildplayedtheroleasacountry’spresidentwhocontrolledacertainamountofnuclearweapons.Theyhadtokeepitasecretsoastoensuretheircountry’ssecurity,buttheywerealsofacingattackingalienswhichrequiredthatallnationsunitedandcalculatedthetotalnumberofglobalnuclearweapons.Howtocooperatewithothernationsandalsoprotecttheirownprivacy?
“Afterabrainstormingsession,thelittlepresidentsaroundsixorsevenyearsoldworkedoutsomereliablesolutions.”Alexmentionedthatonegroupofchildrenproposedthateachnationdividedtheirnumberintoseveralpartsandgaveeachnumbertodifferentpersons,mixedthemtogetherwithoutknowinganyone’snationality,andthensummedupallthenumbers.
Alexalsogavehisownsolutionwhichneededanorganizerandsomenationalpresidents.Theorga-nizerspokeoutarandomnumberandpassedittothePresidentofcountryA,addingittothenuclearweaponnumberinA’scountry;thenaddedittothenumberofcountryB,andkeptongoingthecalculationuntilallthecountries’numberswereincluded.Intheend,theorganizersubtractedtherandomnumberandtheresultwouldbethesumofallstatistics.Inthewholeprocess,nooneknewexactlyhowmanyweaponsothercountrieshad.Therandomnumberiswhatisknowntoasacryptographicprotocolwhichcanprotectinformationsecurityandprivacy.
Redefinitionof“PlayandLearn”
Duringthewholeprocessofthegame,therewerenopresumptions,thekeypointwastoencouragechildren’sactivethinkingsoastofindsolutionsthroughteamcooperationandgivethembasicknowledgeofcomputerscience.
AsthelateprofessorSeymourPapertfromMassachusettsInstituteofTechnologyobserved,weshouldrealizethatchildrenareoutstandinglearnersandadultsshouldsometimeslearnfromthemratherthanaskingthemtothinklikeus.
InAlex’sgamedesignandteachingpractice,wemaydiscoverthattheTULLLteamredefined“playandlearn.”Learningisnotsimplymemorizationofknowledge;thephysical,social,emotional,cognitiveandcreativecapabilitiesofchildrenalsoneedtobepromotedthroughgamesbasedontheirinherentnaturesuchastheloveofdiscovery,creativethinking,andactiveexpressionoftheirownideas.
Thoseinterestinggameshelpchildrenobservetheconnectionsbetweendifferentmatters,effectivelyunderstandknowledge,andexpresstheirunderstandingoftheworld.Children’sdevotiontotheprocess,theircuriosity,excitementingames,andtheirpositiveexperienceallhaveacloseconnectionwithlearning.
Whilepeoplearestilldiscussingthe“knowledgebasedsociety,”professorMitchelResnickfromMITpreferstotalkaboutthe“creativesociety.”Earlyin2006,MitchelpredictedthatChinawasprogressingfrom“MadeinChina”towards“CreatedinChina.”CreativityisanopportunitybutalsoachallengeforChinaandthecruxof“qualityeducation”istocultivatechildren’screativity.Preparingtoday’schildrenfortomorrow’s“creativesociety”isthethingbotheducatorsandparentsneedtothinkonandtakeaction.