© FORMATEX 2006 Attempts by Primary Education pupils to learn the concept of binary encoding within the context of drawing: a case study M. Kordaki *,1 and C. Mpimpas 1 1 DEPT OF COMPUTER ENGINEERING AND INFORMATICS, Patras University, 26500, Rion Patras, Greece This paper focuses on the learning of binary encoding by primary school pupils within the context of drawing. In particular, twenty five 6th Grade pupils participated in a constructivist learning experiment where they were asked to draw their own colourful pictures on a rectangular grid and find ways to describe them correctly to a) a friend over the telephone and b) a computer. Pupils were asked to draw four pictures in total, using two, four, eight and sixteen colors respectively. Data analysis showed the va- riety of ways used by the pupils to describe their pictures and the specific interventions performed by the researcher to help them to move from incomplete to more accurate descriptions. In addition, the analysis of the data showed the diversity of attempts performed by these pupils to express their pictures using 0s and 1s and the kind of teacher intervention used to help them to move from intuitive approaches to binary ones. The analysis also demonstrated pupil performance in encoding using systems consisting of one, two, four and eight binary digits. Finally, pupils were stimulated to make generalizations about binary encod- ing. Pupils were also encouraged to exploit their experience within the context of the said activity to make sense of binary encoding as used in computers. Keywords Binary encoding; painting; Primary education 1. Introduction Understanding how real world information must be represented in order for it to be understood by a computer is fundamental for a preliminary understanding of how a computer works. It is worth noting that one of the four goals of the curriculum proposed by ACM [1] is to introduce the fundamental con- cepts of Computer Science (CS) to all students beginning at primary level. Understanding how 0s and 1s can be used to represent information such as binary images and numbers is viewed as a basis for the achievement of the goals of the CS curriculum at this level of education [2]. It is also worth noting that both students in secondary education and adults have difficulties in understanding how a computer works [3]. With this in mind, encouraging pupils to grasp the concept of information-encoding in general, and information-binary encoding in particular, is crucial. To this end, the role of the learning activity used is essential. Indeed, it has been mentioned by many researchers that learning activities play a central role in the whole learning context and have a significant influence on learners’ actions ([4], [5], [6]). The de- sign of learning activities has been related to the learning theories used. Traditional behaviorist theories [7] emphasize the role of ‘drill and practice’ schoolbook-like activities. These activities do not usually relate to the pupils’ world and are meaningless to them. These activities do not usually enable pupils’ higher mental functions but their recall functions, as they need a specific step-by-step recipe to be ap- plied for their solutions. Contrariwise, constructivism and social theories of learning acknowledge the role of authentic, meaning- ful, holistic learning activities in motivating learners to be actively involved in their learning ([8], [9]) Such activities usually come from the pupils’ world and have a playful and enjoyable character. In addi- tion, the role of activities where learners can use a kind of hands-on experience is acknowledged as es- sential [10] It is not what the pupils see but what they do that has the greatest impact on learning at the primary level [11]. In the context of this kind of activity, pupils are not passive receivers of the knowl- edge presented by their teachers but are provided with opportunities to take their own decisions and to * Corresponding author: e-mail: kordaki@cti.gr , Phone: +30-2610997751 296 Current Developments in Technology-Assisted Education (2006)