Fun and learning, all in one!
Educational robotics is an interdisciplinary teaching system that integrates knowledge from various scientific and creative fields.
The European Commission considers programming a fundamental activity for the development of society and technology in the 21st century. Due to the lack of knowledge about it and the shortage of trained professionals in this field, it estimates that by 2020 there will be around 825,000 jobs unfilled in Europe. Therefore, the demand for these professionals will be very important in the coming years, but educational systems do not seem to be oriented towards this discipline. In recent years, this view has begun to change, and more and more schools are offering their students subjects in educational robotics.
What is educational robotics?
It is an interdisciplinary teaching system. Although most primary and secondary students in our country see computing as an attractive career path, many do not end up choosing it because the training received before university does not lead towards these jobs.
This new teaching system is already offered in some Spanish schools and aims to foster among children the skills demanded by the new job market: leadership, teamwork, entrepreneurship, and hands-on learning.
Hands-on learning is based on trial and error and learning from it. This way, children’s tolerance to frustration is encouraged, as well as their problem-solving ability and abstract thinking.
Multidisciplinary system
This method mixes different areas of knowledge related to the subjects of the current educational system. Thus, in educational robotics the child will acquire knowledge of Natural Sciences, Technology, and Mathematics. The way of learning is much more playful and will allow different solutions to the same problem posed. This system is also known by its English acronym STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). However, not only these areas of knowledge are worked on.
To present their projects, the use of language and oral expression is very important, as well as developing the creative and design part to carry out the robot and make it have the functionality for which it was created.
Computer programming for all ages
It is a program that can adapt to all ages; at first, the youngest will be able to develop robots that follow simple orders and gradually increase the level to solve increasingly complex problems.
Children are involved in the entire creation process and must work as a team for the project to succeed. They are given a problem to solve and must find the best possible solution. Their project will consist of developing a robot (which they must build themselves) that executes the orders for which it has been programmed.
This is where programming comes into play; it involves applying the logic of computer programming and correctly understanding the instructions. Students learn programming and convey it in the most suitable way to the robot they have created.
Problem solving and fostering skills
From a young age, children face problem solving as something natural. The teacher poses one, and the students must solve it through the integration of scientific and creative fields of knowledge to build a working prototype.
On the other hand, children are encouraged to be enterprising and develop their own solutions for each problem and, above all, to learn that there is not just one answer or way to do things when facing a difficulty that must be overcome.
