Related papers: Perspectival Computational Thinking for Learning P…
In this chapter, we argue for an epistemological shift from viewing coding and computational thinking as mastery over computational logic and symbolic forms, to viewing them as a more complex form of experience. Rather than viewing…
Novice learners find motion as a continuous process of change challenging to understand. In this paper, we present a pedagogical approach based on agent-based, visual programming to address this issue. Integrating Logo programming with…
Pre-college mathematics modeling instruction often frames mathematics as being separated from reasoning about the real world -- and commonly treats reasoning mathematically and reasoning about the real-world context as separate stages of a…
A primary goal of physics is to create mathematical models that allow both predictions and explanations of physical phenomena. We weave maths extensively into our physics instruction beginning in high school, and the level and complexity of…
Modeling how human moves in the space is useful for policy-making in transportation, public safety, and public health. Human movements can be viewed as a dynamic process that human transits between states (\eg, locations) over time. In the…
Human action is naturally compositional: humans can easily recognize and perform actions with objects that are different from those used in training demonstrations. In this paper, we study the compositionality of action by looking into the…
Autonomous robots need to be able to adapt to unforeseen situations and to acquire new skills through trial and error. Reinforcement learning in principle offers a suitable methodological framework for this kind of autonomous learning.…
This paper considers neural representation through the lens of active inference, a normative framework for understanding brain function. It delves into how living organisms employ generative models to minimize the discrepancy between…
This paper examines conceptual models and their application to computational thinking. Computational thinking is a fundamental skill for everybody, not just for computer scientists. It has been promoted as skills that are as fundamental for…
The rapid growth of wearable sensor technologies holds substantial promise for the field of personalized and context-aware Human Activity Recognition. Given the inherently decentralized nature of data sources within this domain, the…
As part of human core knowledge, the representation of objects is the building block of mental representation that supports high-level concepts and symbolic reasoning. While humans develop the ability of perceiving objects situated in 3D…
This paper describes our research on AI agents embodied in visual, virtual or physical forms, enabling them to interact with both users and their environments. These agents, which include virtual avatars, wearable devices, and robots, are…
Computational thinking, and by extension, computer programming, is notoriously challenging to learn. Conversational agents and generative artificial intelligence (genAI) have the potential to facilitate this learning process by offering…
Shapes of cognition is a new conceptual paradigm for the computational cognitive modeling of Language-Endowed Intelligent Agents (LEIAs). Shapes are remembered constellations of sensory, linguistic, conceptual, episodic, and procedural…
Developing and making sense of quantitative models is a core practice of physics. Covariational reasoning -- considering how the changes in one quantity affect changes in another, related quantity -- is an essential part of modeling…
Starting with a group of reinforcement-learning agents we derive coupled replicator equations that describe the dynamics of collective learning in multiagent systems. We show that, although agents model their environment in a…
Rate-based processes comprise an important set of scientific phenomena, as well as an important part of the K12 science curricula. Electric current is one such phenomenon, which is taught in various forms from 4th - 12th grades. Research…
Computer experiments refer to the study of real systems using complex simulation models. They have been widely used as alternatives to physical experiments. Design and analysis of computer experiments have attracted great attention in past…
In this paper, we propose a mathematical model for a Transactive Memory System (TMS) involved in the cooperative process of learning a task. The model is based on an intertwined dynamics involving both the individuals level of expertise and…
The use of graphics processing units for scientific computations is an emerging strategy that can significantly speed up various different algorithms. In this review, we discuss advances made in the field of computational physics, focusing…