Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on New Trends in Teaching and Education
Year: 2024
DOI:
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Inspiring Young Learners: Robotics as a Tool to Boost 21st-Century Skills
Assist. Prof. Duygu Umutlu, Assist. Prof. Mutlu Sen-Akbulut
ABSTRACT:
Use of educational robotics for young learners has become increasingly controversial in recent years, with educators seeking to incorporate this technology to enhance learning. Research has shown that teachers can modify their educational programs to incorporate robotics to instruct children on various subjects such as numbers, shapes, colors, language skills, and handwriting (Bers et al., 2019). Teaching young children to program a robot with appropriate tools may not only encourage their understanding of technology, but also enhance their sequencing abilities and in various areas such as math, reading, and daily life tasks (Kazakoff & Bers, 2014). The purpose of this study was to design a robotics curriculum and to explore the role of educational robotics in enhancing preschool children’s 21-st century skills such as creativity, collaboration, and communication. The design of the robotics curriculum was based on Positive Technological Development (PTD). PTD (Bers, 2012) is an educational framework that describes positive behaviors children exhibit while engaging in digital learning experiences. Within the scope of this study, three out of six skills described in the framework (communication, creativity, and collaboration) were focused. In the curriculum, two robotics activities (one unplugged and one plugged) were designed for each skill. And, the curriculum was implemented in a preschool classroom in Istanbul, Turkey. Based on the preliminary findings of this study, important design implications for educators preparing robotics curricula for early childhood education and teachers applying educational robotics activities in their classrooms will be discussed.
keywords: toy robots, creativity, collaboration, communication, pre-school children