Gema García: “ISE project promotes the ability to meet challenges and solve problems amongst our students”.
Robotics has become a key element for the student motivation to learn STEM. The Inspiring Science Education Project make the most of the resources offered by Educational Robotics to improve the students motivation.
We have talked about this subject with Gema Garcia, Schools-Extracurricular Department Coordinator at Universidad Internacional de la Rioja (UNIR, http://unir.net), member of ISE project through the Vice Chancellorship for Research and Technology (UNIR Research, //research.unir.net).
UNIR Research: How does Educational Robotics increase student motivation?
Gema García: In our opinion, there are two factors why Educational Robotics is key to promote student motivation:
On the one hand, the fact of creating their own “micro-worlds”. We define “micro-worlds” as the reproduction of phenomena that regularly interact with students in real life. In fact, they can see what they have built themselves, moving and operating autonomously. On the other, the appeal of materials: the combination of parts for construction along with electronic elements is perfect to increase student motivation and arouse their interest.
What does the ISE project provide to improve STEM teaching?
Mainly, the project provides new techniques to implement in classrooms, especially in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) with which Educational Robotics is so related and a variety of international contacts to share the students progress from different countries via videoconference.
In addition, it also provides support for aspects relating to arts. The projects have a high creative component that helps to develop spatial and kinesthetic intelligence.
What kind of values are transmitted with robotics?
We believe in robotics, not only as an activity to improve students technological skills that extend and complement their own capacity as digital natives, but also allows us to create an ideal environment to transmit an education in essential values for the students growing as citizens. Educational robotics allows us to work on aspects such as empathy, respect, tolerance, teamwork and responsibility.
In addition, both the construction work such as programming allow us to develop computational thinking of students. Amongst some other things, it promotes its ability to meet challenges and solve problems and to work with error as positive reinforcement, necessary in the learning process and in managing frustration.
What are the advantages to make more dynamic the school day?
As robotics is a matter that covers many disciplines, it allows us to make a transfer of knowledge and education in cross values. If we add this to the great attraction of the materials and the variety of robotics kits adapted to different levels depending on the age and characteristics of students, it is an optimal and feasible to energize most curriculum of each school year supplement.
We hope see the ISE project keep growing.
Thank you very much for the opportunity.
Author:
Carlos Fernández-Alameda
Science Journalist
More info: research.ucc(at)unir.net