Intra-Active Emergence of Cooperative Play in a Robotics Camp: Possibilities for Inclusive Early Childhood Education

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Sunday 8:00 am Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Critical Examinations of Dis/Ability in Early Childhood Practices and Pedagogies (Table 3)

Abstract

This paper presents an emergent moment of cooperative play observed in a summer robotics camp at a Southeastern U.S. town in July 2024. This moment involves a child named Calvin (pseudonym), diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, two other children, and an adult facilitator, all of whom are African American. This event was a break from the patterns of Calvin’s solitary play/exploration or one-on-one interactions with the adult facilitator. Drawing on Latour’s (2005) actor-network theory, Bennett’s (2010) vibrant materiality, and Barard’s (2007) intra-action, we identify human and non-human actors/actants involved in this event. We discuss the possible implications of the analysis of this moment for inclusive early childhood education in general and early childhood robotics education in particular.

Authors

• Kyung Hwa Lee, University of Georgia

• Stacie Abdallah, University of Georgia

• Gyu Lim Choi, University of Georgia