Date: March 1, 2023 (Wednesday)
Time: 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm (Hong Kong Time)
Mode: Online via Zoom in English
Registration: https://eduhk.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_b4lpVCD5uml0Swe
In this 7th INTER-CONVERSATIONS forum organized by the Department of Early Childhood Education (ECE) at the EdUHK, we will share with Early Childhood Education practitioners and researchers what is computer science education, why it is important for young children to have early exposure to it, and how teachers can introduce computer science activities in their classrooms to engage and inspire their children. A question-and-answer session follows the short talks. The forum is hosted by Dr. Yang Weipeng from the ECE Department who is an expert in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) education and has published widely on computer science education for young children. The session will be recorded. See our speakers’ biographies below.
Contact Sofie Chua (schua@eduhk.hk) for queries.
Biography of Speakers
Dr Weipeng Yang, Ph.D., specialises in early childhood curriculum and pedagogy with interests in STEAM education (coding/computer programming, robotics, AI literacy, makerspace, virtual worlds, etc.), positive education, and professional learning. His research focuses on curriculum design and professional support for early childhood educators to scaffold young children's learning and promote their social-emotional wellbeing. His work with young children (especially those who are socially disadvantaged), teachers, parents, and communities aims to explore effective and sustainable approaches to high-quality curriculum and instruction in early childhood settings.
Dr Cynthia Lim, Ph.D., is a Senior Lecturer of the Bachelor of Early Childhood Education at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, Singapore. She has taught students from preschool-aged to university in diverse areas, including music, law, education, mathematics, and technology. Her research interests include adult-child interactions, STEM learning, promoting math thinking for young children, and more recently, early years technology. She is the lead researcher and designer of the Discovery Play program that aims to engage parents and children of low SES families in Singapore to participate in STEM learning in the early years.
Dr Sarika Kewalramani, Ph.D., is a Senior Lecturer in STEM education and the course director of Bachelor in Primary education at Swinburne University of Technology, Department of Education, Melbourne. She has 10+ years of teaching Science and Mathematics in Australian primary and secondary educational settings. Sarika's research expertise resides in conceptualising kindergarten and primary teachers' understanding of the nexus between creative STEM-based play by integrating technologies such as robotics as inclusive teaching practices and curricula programs to promote students learning and development. Through her research, Sarika provides exemplars of evidence-based practices to meaningfully integrate technologies (e.g., Robotics toys) in developmentally appropriate ways to progress children’s language, problem-solving, inquiry, social communication skills. She is the founder and lead researcher for the AIR play program that aspires to engage children in STEM learning trajectories early on.
Dr Ibrahim H. Yeter, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at the National Institute of Education (NIE) at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. He is an affiliated faculty member of the Centre for Research and Development in Learning (CRADLE) and NTU Institute for Science and Technology for Humanity (NISTH) at NTU and the Director of the World MOON Project. He has worked on several international and national projects related to interdisciplinary studies, including artificial intelligence literacy, computational thinking, and engineering education within PreK-16 settings.
Ms Anika Saxena is a Lecturer in the Department of Early Childhood Education, EdUHK. Her teaching areas include early childhood teacher education, leadership, curriculum, technology integration, and computational thinking in early childhood education (ECE). Ms Saxena has worked in ECE education in Hong Kong for many years, holding several positions of senior leadership in international and local schools, gaining a broad experience in the areas of ECE curriculum, teacher training, leadership, and technology integration in education. Her research interests are computational thinking in ECE, early childhood teacher education, technology integration in education, artificial intelligence, and creative aspects of teaching and learning. Her work on integrating computational thinking with tangible unplugged approaches and plugged technologies in the early childhood environment has informed the design of digital resources and classroom pedagogies. Her findings provide insight into how preschool children develop competencies such as problem-solving, inquiry, computational thinking, and communication skills in a play-based learning environment.