In the second half of 2022, a variety of STEAM education were able to be carried out with the support of Dai-ichi Life Myanmar at Dream Train.
In this issue, we would like to report on a total of 6 programming classes held from November to December last year.
In the past programming courses presented by Dai-ichi Life Insurance Myanmar, “Scratch,” a visual programming material for children developed by MIT, a prestigious American science and engineering university, and applied in 150 countries around the world, was used.
In addition to the beginner course using Scratch, an advanced class for children who have begun to understand programming concepts was also offered. This class used LEGO WeDo, a STEAM learning material developed by LEGO.
The children’s concentration was unparalleled as they were able to freely move the LEGO bricks they had assembled, not only on the screen, but also in front of them, using programmers.
Participants
There were five advanced course slots available.
Of the 15 children who had already taken the Scratch course in the past, 12 children came forward to take on the challenge.
The selection process was not easy, but we took into account the essays written by the children, their past works, their interest in programming, and their participation in the class, and together with the instructor, Mr. Yamin of Kids Labo, we selected the five winners.
There were 7 slots for beginners, but there were 15 participants who wanted to participate.
Because of the young age range of the participants, the children were selected by presenting their drawings on construction paper.
Some of the children were so nervous about speaking in front of an audience for the first time that they had to speak with their hands shaking and their voices straining.
All of the children’s works were so wonderful that we wanted to give them a passing grade, but we decided on the top seven by voting, who were particularly original and clearly expressed what they wanted to draw.
Children’s Impressions
Thanks to IT, we can work easily with less human labor. I think IT education is necessary to develop various technologies on an equal footing with other countries.In the course, when assembling a LEGO, if there is a mistake, the machine will not work. At that time, it was fun to re-invent the machine and assemble it again.I would like to continue to study IT knowledge whenever I have the chance.
I would like to continue to study IT knowledge whenever I have the chance. Myanmar is still a developing country, so I think this kind of IT education is essential.For the sake of the country and its people, I want to study programming and become a useful member of society.
I learned that no matter what kind of problem arises, it is necessary to work with attention to detail. I must have the knowledge. I need to create my life.
For example, if I invent a plane with a camera on it and program it to fly to a place I have never been, I can see the view. It will be wonderful.
Through the continuous programming classes supported by Dai-ichi Life Myanmar that began in FY 2021-22 children have so far learned how to create 1 from 0 using their own imagination and the process of doing so.
The experience of not following the answers given to them by others, but rather deriving the best answer through trial and error by themselves, will be useful in any situation in their future lives.
We would like to thank Dai-ichi Life Myanmar for giving us this opportunity and Kids Labo for serving as our instructor.