The MIT Media Lab recently released ScratchJr, a free iPad app that helps children 5-8 learn how to code. The app is a collaboration between the MIT Media Lab, Tufts University, and Playful Invention Company (PICO).

The original Scratch programming language is already used by millions of older kids, but it was too complicated for younger kids. The Scratch team redesigned the interface, simplifying it in order to make it more accessible to younger kids.

I downloaded ScratchJr and then handed the iPad to my six year old. He was instantly engaged. While he was playing--creating stories through an interface that teaches the basics of coding--I shot an email to Mitchel Resnick, one of the creators of Scratch. I wanted to learn a little more about the thinking behind ScratchJr.

The MIT Media Lab recently released ScratchJr, a free iPad app that helps children 5-8 learn how to code. The app is a collaboration between the MIT Media Lab, Tufts University, and Playful Invention Company (PICO).

The original Scratch programming language is already used by millions of older kids, but it was too complicated for younger kids. The Scratch team redesigned the interface, simplifying it in order to make it more accessible to younger kids.

I downloaded ScratchJr and then handed the iPad to my six year old. He was instantly engaged. While he was playing--creating stories through an interface that teaches the basics of coding--I shot an email to Mitchel Resnick, one of the creators of Scratch. I wanted to learn a little more about the thinking behind ScratchJr.

The following is the conversation between Mitchel and me. We cover scratch, literacy, play, expression, and early childhood creativity.

Jordan Shapiro: Scratch and ScratchJr are digital apps that introduce children to basic coding through a simple drag and drop interface. I’ve seen some young people create pretty amazing things with the original Scratch: building their own games, making short films, even creating really engaging animated presentations. It is great because it is simultaneously silly and serious. ScratchJr is a brand new iPad app aimed at younger kids.

Can you explain how and why you created Scratch in the first place? Also, tell us about specifically about ScratchJr How is it different? Why is it important?

Mitchel Resnick: My research group at the MIT Media Lab spends a lot of time working with young people. We saw that many young people wanted to create their own interactive stories, games, and animations, but traditional programming languages were not designed with kids in mind. There was clearly a need for a new type of programming language. At the same time, we knew that learning to program would be a rich learning experience for young people. So we developed Scratch to meet a need -- but also to provide new learning opportunities.

We developed Scratch for ages 8 and up. But we believed that younger children would also enjoy (and benefit from) learning to program. So we decided to develop ScratchJr for children ages 5 to 7. We teamed up with Marina Bers, a professor of child development at Tufts University, and we redesigned the Scratch interface and programming language to make them developmentally appropriate for younger children, carefully designing features to match young children's cognitive, personal, social, and emotional development.

JS: You lead the MIT Media Lab’s Lifelong Kindergarten Research Group. I’ve always loved the name. I’m guessing that most people hear “kindergarten,” think about finger painting and body tracings, and imagine it is all about childish irreverence. In fact, kindergarten, done well, is really way more structured than that; play is the rigorous work of young people. Kindergarten should offer playful ways for kids to experientially learn the building blocks of rational thinking and meaningful articulation. ScratchJr introduces algorithmic thinking to young kids in a creative way. Children go through the basic motions of coding even though they don’t necessarily realize it. You’ve said that Scratch and Scratch Jr. are not only about “learning to code,” but also about “coding to learn.” Can you briefly explain what you mean by that? What are some of the critical non-STEM skills that children can learn from Scratch and ScratchJr?

MR: As children code with Scratch and ScratchJr, they learn strategies for solving problems, designing projects, and communicating ideas. They learn how to divide complex problems into simpler parts, how to iteratively refine and improve their work, how to remix and build on the work of others, how to persevere in the face of challenges. These skills are important for everyone, not just people who will grow up to become scientists, engineers, or computer scientists.

JS: A few years ago, I wrote a book called FREEPLAY: A Video Game Guide To Maximum Euphoric Bliss. I argued that video games are the mythology of the future. But I was really getting at something much more general: that the way humans tell stories, transmit information, and practice persuasive rhetoric is fundamentally shifting from a top-down organization to a participatory one. In other words, storytelling, narrative, and expository communication are all increasingly becoming interactive, algorithmic, and non-linear. It occurs to me that with Scratch and ScratchJr you are providing a platform on which children can begin to develop and practice the foundational skills (and also a way of thinking about communication) that will be critical in a world that we can only just begin to imagine. Is it fair to say that Scratch and ScratchJr help to immersively teach the grammar and syntax of an emerging type of rhetoric?

MR: I see coding as an extension of writing. The ability to code allows you to “write” new types of things – interactive stories, games, animations, and simulations. When people learn to write, they can share their ideas with the rest of the world. So too with coding. Take a look in the Scratch online community and you will find animated stories, virtual tours, science simulations, public-service announcements, multimedia art projects, online newsletters, interactive tutorials, and much more.

JS: These days, everyone seems to be saying that coding is the ‘new literacy.’ To be honest, I find that a little absurd. For one thing, there are many different kinds of essential literacies and we need to get out of the mindset that any one is more important than the others. Also, there’s nothing ‘new’ about the computational thinking that coding involves. It dates back at least to 8th century Persia (but was already practiced by ancient Greek and Egyptian philosophers). It is significant, however, that new digital technologies enable us to use this kind of thinking in really efficient ways. With these tools, we can suddenly apply this thinking in ways we never could have imagined possible in the past. But that involves shifting our perspective so that we can understand and see the new possibilities. Scratch and ScratchJr put a simplified version of these technologies into the hands of very young children so that they can understand, experiment, and play, in a practical way, with computational thinking. I might not call it the “new literacy,” but I do think every child should be exposed to this kind of play. Why do you think this is this so important? Why is play one of the best ways to learn content in context?

MR: I’d like to comment on two themes in your question: “computational thinking” and “play”.

In recent years, many people have emphasized the importance of “computational thinking.” I agree that understanding computer concepts can provide a framework for understanding many types of systems and processes in the world. But I feel that people tend to overlook and undervalue the importance of “computational expression.” When you learn to code, you don’t just learn new ways of thinking, but new ways of expressing yourself and sharing your ideas.

For me, “play” is not just an activity (like “playing a game”) but a style of interacting with the world. A playful approach involves trying new things, testing boundaries, taking risks, exploring what’s possible, iterating again and again. A playful approach is essential for creativity and innovation -- and creativity is more important in today’s world than ever before.

JS: The Lifelong Kindergarten Research Group’s mission is to nurture “a world full of playfully creative people who are constantly inventing new opportunities for themselves and their communities.” Scratch and ScratchJr do this through early hands-on exposure to coding and computational thinking. I love the way this work manifests: help people achieve fluency with new technologies and simultaneously empower them to do the basic work of human civilization within a modern context. Essentially, it seems to be all about offering innovative opportunities for creative play. Your work reminds me that even though we are still playing in the same sandbox, if we constantly update the buckets and the shovels, we might even discover that the sand looks and behaves differently. Tell us about one or two of the other projects and how they accomplish the same mission.  

MR: For many years, we have collaborated with the LEGO Company on the design of new robotics kits, like LEGO Mindstorms and LEGO WeDo. Just as Scratch and ScratchJr provide opportunities for young people to design, create, and invent in the online world, LEGO robotics kits provide opportunities for young people to design, create, and invent in the physical world. In the process, young people learn to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively -- essential skills for success in today’s world.

In collaboration with the Boston Museum of Science, my research group co-founded the Computer Clubhouse project, an international network of after-school learning centers where young people from low-income communities learn to express themselves creatively with new technologies. As they work on projects, Clubhouse members become more capable, confident, and creative learners. With support from the Intel Foundation, the Computer Clubhouse Network has expanded to 100 locations in 20 countries, serving roughly 20,000 young people every year. Our initial inspirations for Scratch came through our interactions with young people at Computer Clubhouses.

With my colleagues Phillip Schmidt and Natalie Rusk, we have been developing an online course, called “Learning Creative Learning,” to share our ideas with others (http://learn.media.mit.edu). We view the course as an experimental alternative to traditional Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), putting greater emphasis on peer-to-peer learning, hands-on projects, and sustainable communities.

JS: Is there anything else you want to tell us about either ScratchJr or the Lifelong Kindergarten Research Group?

MR: In our Lifelong Kindergarten Research Group, we have been developing a conceptual framework for our approach to learning and education. We have identified four guiding principles, which we sometimes call the Four P’s of Creative Learning:

• Projects. People learn best when they are actively working on meaningful projects – generating new ideas, designing prototypes, refining iteratively.
• Peers. Learning flourishes as a social activity, with people sharing ideas, collaborating on projects, and building on one another’s work.
• Passion. When people work on projects they care about, they work longer and harder, persist in the face of challenges, and learn more in the process.
• Play. Learning involves playful experimentation – trying new things, tinkering with materials, testing boundaries, taking risks, iterating again and again.