Skills development using Logo - experiences with first year engineering students on an extended study program

摘要

Since 2003, Logo has been used in a developmental course, Professional Orientation, presented to first year students enrolled for an extended study program in engineering. Ongoing action research at the University of Pretoria has identified a lack of competence in mathematics and mathematical thinking skills as well as shortcomings in communication skills in the background of freshmen engineering students. The use of Logo is purposefully structured with little emphasis on programming per se as a minimum of Logo programming commands are used. The accent is on the development of logical and procedural thinking skills, observational skills, as well as analysis and synthesis. IT and communication skills, including reading, writing and comprehension skills, are also fostered. The Logo course content relies on basic knowledge of a 2-D set of axes, elementary concepts from trigonometry and Euclidian geometry as well as algebra. The underlying pedagogical approach is based on the principles of whole brain thinking and learning and with emphasis on assisting the students in making the transition from an empirical-inductive thinking pattern to a hypothetical-deductive thinking pattern. Qualitative analysis of students' feedback shows that the experiences with Logo, when used in an innovative pedagogical approach, with content and a learning environment that is new to students, contribute to intellectual growth and a sense of achievement.