Kate Highfield

Papers

Total Citations

138

H-Index

About

Kate Highfield is an educational researcher whose work sits at the intersection of early childhood education, mathematics learning, and educational technology. Best known for her pioneering investigations into how young children engage with robotic toys as mathematical learning tools, Highfield has made significant contributions to our understanding of how physical, embodied interaction with programmable devices can foster mathematical thinking and metacognitive development in young learners. Her most influential work, "Robotic toys as a catalyst for mathematical problem solving" (2010), garnered 111 citations and demonstrated how tools like Bee-bots and Pro-bots could simultaneously support problem-solving and metacognitive skills in early childhood settings. This research helped establish a compelling case for integrating robotics meaningfully into early mathematics education. Her complementary 2009 study explored the embodied, physical dimensions of children's problem-solving interactions with robotic toys, adding nuance to how we understand learning through movement and action. More recently, Highfield has turned attention to educators themselves, examining how teachers conceptualize and articulate the mathematical affordances of robotics in classroom contexts. This body of work collectively underscores her commitment to bridging research and practice, ensuring that the mathematical potential of emerging technologies is genuinely realized in schools.