Sensor-enabled Geometric Blocks for Research in Early-childhood Education

这个REESE Pathways项目旨在开发和评估一种新的程序和方法，通过传感器嵌入式几何块来评估儿童的认知和精细运动技能。认知问题解决，精细运动控制和工作记忆技能与基本的STEM推理和学习能力密切相关。采用一组传感器集成的几何块和交互式图形用户界面，块将作为一个自动化的，客观的，多模式的评估和教育工具，为研究人员，临床医生，教育工作者和家长，同时也参与儿童。三种类型的块将被开发：组装，形状匹配，形状记忆。这三种类型涉及儿童的概念推理，解决问题和工作记忆的能力，以及精细运动控制和视觉运动整合。初步评估将侧重于测试所开发技术的安全性、耐用性和可用性。信度和效度评估将在4至6岁的幼儿中进行。该项目将为相关研究领域提供先进的仪器，使收集来自多个实时数据源，是客观的，同时的，并在各种不同的环境设置累积。它将通过为在各种正式和非正式教育环境中学习基本STEM内容提供切实的界面，对学龄前儿童和学龄儿童的早期教育产生直接影响。此外，它可以很容易地转化为各种测试，用于测量智力，成就，学习能力，运动能力，空间记忆和注意力，同时解决个体差异和特殊需求，特别是对于代表性不足的群体。这些模块还可以扩展到认知或运动残疾者的介入和治疗应用。

This REESE Pathways project aims to develop and evaluate a novel procedural and methodological approach for assessing cognitive and fine-motor skills in children through sensor-embedded geometric blocks. Cognitive problem-solving, fine-motor control, and working memory skills are closely linked to fundamental STEM reasoning and learning abilities. Employing a set of sensor-integrated geometric blocks and an interactive graphical user interface, the blocks will function as an automated, objective, and multimodal assessment and educational tool for researchers, clinicians, educators, and parents, while also being engaging for children.Three types of blocks will be developed: assembly, shape matching, and shape memory. The three types address children's abilities of conceptual reasoning, problem-solving, and working memory, in addition to fine-motor control and visual-motor integration. Initial evaluation will focus on testing safety, durability, and usability of the developed technology. Reliability and validity evaluation will later be conducted on young children, aged 4 to 6. This project will provide advanced instrumentation for related research areas by enabling collection from multiple real-time data sources that are objective, simultaneous, and cumulative in a variety of different environmental settings. It will bring a direct impact on early education for preschoolers and school-aged children by providing a tangible interface for learning fundamental STEM content in various formal and informal educational settings. Furthermore, it can be easily transformed into various tests for measuring intelligence, achievement, learning capability, motor proficiency, spatial memory, and attention, while addressing individual differences and special needs, particularly for underrepresented groups. The blocks may also be extended to interventional and therapeutic applications for persons with cognitive or motor disabilities.