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Designing and Implementing Nervous System Simulations on LEGO Robots
Published on: May 25, 2013
15.3K
The symbiotic relationship between educational robotics and computer science in formal education
Laila El-Hamamsy1,2, Barbara Bruno1,3, Frédérique Chessel-Lazzarotto2
1MOBOTS Group, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Education and Information Technologies
|April 12, 2021
Summary
Educational Robotics (ER) integration into Computer Science (CS) continuing professional development (CPD) significantly boosts teacher adoption of CS concepts. Teachers voluntarily dedicated over 2000 hours to ER activities, showing positive perceptions regardless of prior experience.
Area of Science:
- Education
- Computer Science Education
- Robotics in Education
Background:
- Educational Robotics (ER) shows promise for formal education beyond extracurriculars.
- Global curricular reforms in Computer Science (CS) Education create opportunities for integrating new pedagogical tools.
- Digital Education reforms can leverage ER for teaching core CS concepts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the voluntary adoption of Educational Robotics (ER) and Robotics Unplugged (RU) activities by primary school teachers within a CS continuing professional development (CPD) program.
- To assess teachers' perceptions and recommendations of ER following its integration into CS education.
- To understand the interplay between ER and CS Unplugged (CSU) activities in teacher professional development.
Main Methods:
- A two-year mandatory continuing professional development (CPD) program for approximately 350 primary school teachers.
- Introduction of CS Unplugged (CSU) and Robotics Unplugged (RU) activities in the first year of the CPD.
- Analysis of voluntary teacher adoption of ER activities and their time investment in classroom implementation.
- Surveys and analysis of teacher perceptions and recommendations regarding ER.
Main Results:
- ER integration within CS CPD provided traction for teacher adoption, with teachers voluntarily dedicating 2275 hours to ER activities.
- The inclusion of ER activities in CS CPD increased CS content adoption, accommodating teachers with varied activity preferences.
- A globally positive perception of ER was observed, even among teachers not voluntarily participating in the CPD, with no difference between novices and pioneers.
Conclusions:
- Integrating ER into CS continuing professional development is an effective strategy for increasing teacher engagement and adoption of CS concepts.
- ER activities serve as a valuable complementary tool to other CS education methods like CSU, broadening teacher reach.
- The positive reception of ER by teachers suggests its strong potential for wider implementation in formal primary education settings.
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