Abstract
In recent years we have observed a clear trend for the transformation and evolution of teaching practices using Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and in particular educational robotics. As modern society gives great importance to scientific and technological literacy and new technologies, the educational process must play a central role in the development of the respective skills. Thus, the training of future teachers in corresponding fields is especially important. In this paper, we present the curriculum design of a course named "S.T.E.A.M Teaching Scenarios using Educational Robotics" implemented for undergraduate pre-service teachers at the Elementary Education Department of the University of Western Macedonia in Florina, Greece. The objectives of the course include the development of critical and computational thinking, familiarity with robots, and the process of their integration in curricula focusing on interdisciplinary practices facilitated by embodied learning affordances.
Highlights
STEAM is an approach to learning that uses concepts from Natural Sciences, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics like springboards for the development of skills of active inquiry, cooperation, communication, creativity, and critical thinking
In this publication we present a curriculum targeted to pre-service elementary school teachers, exploiting the symbiotic relationship between Natural Sciences, Technology, Engineering, Art and, Mathematics integrated in various educational robotics based teaching scenarios
The course is based on collaborative work, within immersive embodied environments that encourage more than just basic science skills and skills directly related to the arts and humanities such as creativity, imagination,and reflection on ethical implications [6,7,8]
Summary
STEAM is an approach to learning that uses concepts from Natural Sciences, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics like springboards for the development of skills of active inquiry, cooperation, communication, creativity, and critical thinking. The ultimate goal of deploying these STEAM based sequences is for elementary school students to be familiar with elements of engineering (simple and complex machines), to algorithmic thinking (programming), to building robots [5], design and implement experimental devices, and incorporate elements from the arts and humanities indirectly (design, aesthetics, creativity, imagination, innovation, ethical extensions, creative script writing, etc.) or directly (e.g. a robot that paints, a robot that dances, etc.). The course is based on collaborative work, within immersive embodied environments that encourage more than just basic science skills (critical thinking, computational thinking, logic and application of science methodology) and skills directly related to the arts and humanities such as creativity, imagination ,and reflection on ethical implications [6,7,8]. The course, in addition to educational robotics, integrates multiple ICT tools that support and enrich teaching scenarios, such as Scratch games, Makey-Makey and augmented reality applications [9, 10], an embodied learning teaching framework [11, 12], and utilizing robots as tools for simulation [13]
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