LEGO Education Research Articles

ИГРИТЕ С LEGO И МАТЕМАТИЧЕСКИТЕ КОМПЕТЕНТНОСТИ НА ПЕТ ГОДИШНИТЕ ДЕЦА

The present report describes an innovative pedagogical practice related to the formation of mathematical competences in five-year-old children through the use of Lego games. The interdisciplinary approach teaches adolescents to apply their skills in the creation of a product /model/, which shows the inextricable connection between knowledge and a game situation related to real-world events. For this purpose, we took advantage of the educational sets „STEAM Park“, „Coding Express“ and the materials of LEGO Education. Applying the approaches „learning through playing“, „learning by doing“ and „learning from experience“ have a significant contribution to improve children’s skills in planning activities and working in small groups. During the process, children ask questions, propose solutions, try out ideas, gain experience. Lego games give them the opportunity to explore materials, make discoveries, test theories. Using the STEM approach in kindergarten ensures the development of critical thinking, communicative, creative and cooperative individuals prepared for the innovative professions of the future.

Possibilities of implementing LEGO education in the first grade of elementary school

Iako je robotika višedisciplinarno područje koje posljednjih desetak godina sve više zalazi i u područje obrazovanja, njena primjena u osnovnim školama još uvijek u povojima. U ovom radu je provedeno istraživanje s ciljem rasvjetljavanja problematike upotrebe robotike unutar nastavnog predmeta Informatike te analize stupnja zainteresiranosti učitelja za implementacijom LEGO WeDo 2.0 edukativnog programa u prve razrede osnovne škole. Istraživanje je provedeno među 70 učitelja i učiteljica nastavnog predmeta Informatika u osnovnim školama grada Zagreba. Istraživanje je provedeno kroz tri faze, a kao instrument istraživanja korišten je online anketni upitnik. Sudionici istraživanja su u prvom dijelu odgovorili na upitnik, a potom im je prezentirano LEGO WeDo 2.0 programsko sučelje i Prijedlog nastavnog programa robotike za učenike prvog razreda osnovne škole te način implementacije u nastavni predmet Informatika. Drugi dio upitnika je proveden nakon prezentacije nakon koje su učitelji mogli procijeniti primjenu LEGO WeDo 2.0 u nastavi. Rezultati su pokazali kako su se osobni stavovi o primjeni robotike u nastavi promijenili nakon prezentacije. Učitelji su pokazali visoku razinu spremnosti na implementaciju i korištenje LEGO WeDo edukativnog programa u nastavnom sadržaju za prve razrede osnovne škole. Kao najveće prednosti edukativnog programa prepoznali su podizanje digitalne i informatičke pismenosti kod učenika, poticanje kritičkog razmišljanja i zanimanja za STEM discipline, a najveće ograničenje vide u visokim troškovima nabave robotskih setova.

How to Develop 21st Century Skills in Students: The Role of LEGO Education

The concept of “21st century skills” emerged in response to the challenges of the modern era. The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21) was a pioneering force in this movement and developed the Framework for 21st Century Learning in the early 2000s (Shi et al., 2016). In 2012, the U.S. National Research Council issued a report titled Education for Life and Work: Developing Transferable Knowledge and Skills in the 21st Century, which marked a new direction for educational reform and development in the U.S. and provided valuable insights for nations worldwide. The report identified three domains of competence that comprise 21st century skills: cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal. Each domain consists of several clusters of relevant competencies. The cognitive domain includes cognitive processes and strategies, knowledge, and creativity. The intrapersonal domain encompasses intellectual openness, work ethic/conscientiousness, and positive core self-evaluation. The interpersonal domain is divided into two clusters: teamwork and collaboration, and leadership (National Research Council, 2012). Developing these skills is not only crucial for personal growth and achievement, but also essential for the progress of society as a whole. Therefore, individuals and educational institutions should prioritize the cultivation of 21st century skills in today’s rapidly evolving social and economic environment.

Development of interest in STEM education among primary school children in the system of supplementary education

Introduction. Education in science, technology, engineering and mathematics plays a significant role in achieving the sustainable development goals, i.e. “a better and more sustainable future for all” (UN). By bringing together science, technology, engineering and mathematics, STEM education helps us to address the challenges faced by the world today. The aim of the study is to test the efficiency of a model for developing interest in STEM education among primary school children in the system of supplementary education. Materials and methods. The experimental research was carried out on the basis of Lego Education Centre (Kazakhstan, Astana). A total of 110 children aged 6 to 9 participated in the experiment (their number was equally divided between experimental and control group). The subject of the researchers’ assessment was the level of primary school pupils’ research skills, abilities, acquaintance with the basic non-standard, practical intellectual problems and the pupils’ readiness to solve them. The involved mathematical statistics method was Pearson’s chi-squared test. Results. The proposed model for the development of research skills in primary school children involves creation of a specially organised environment that is attractive and valuable for pupils and that transforms learning into a life activity aimed at the development of scientific and technical knowledge. Following the analysis of the qualitative and quantitative results of pedagogical observation over the experimental group, it can be concluded that the learners’ research skills (χ2 = 8.733; p=0.013) and awareness level (χ2 = 6.545; p=0.038) increased significantly after the educational experiment. Conclusion. The STEM approach provides primary school pupils with an opportunity to study the world in its integrity, to delve into the logic of surrounding phenomena, to discover and understand their interconnection, to discover many new and interesting things. A child, when introduced to something new, develops curiosity and cognitive activity, further followed by the need to set tasks independently, choose the ways of their solution and assess the results objectively. This contributes to the development of the engineering style of thinking; ensures a new, higher level of child’s development, which supposes better opportunities in the future, when choosing a profession.

Os robôs educacionais são bons para o aprendizado comunicativo de inglês para alunos do ensino fundamental?

Abstract This paper presents a pilot study that focuses on the exploratory and rapid prototyping within the humanin- the-loop control of a self-constructed and developed educational robot in assisting communicative English learning in primary Education in Madrid, Spain. The study sample was composed of 37 3rd graders that attended four English learning program sessions in November 2021, in which robot integration plays a leading role as learning material. To achieve the above, an easy-to-build, programmed and economical LEGO Education Mindstorms EV3 package was optioned. Pre-and-post questionnaires, classroom observations, and an evaluation sheet that measures self-evaluation, peer evaluation, and teacher evaluation were applied. The result reveals students’ perception of the pioneering robot and although preliminary, presents validation of the technology for English class assistance. Another finding suggests that students’ stress generated from communication in English among peers was reduced with the companion of the robot. Due to the nature of a pilot study, both the number of sessions and the sample size are limited to determine if the robot is helpful in students’ vocabulary acquisition in the long run. Further study is to be conducted with the pioneer model to teach vocabularies of different categories for a longer period. The findings of this pilot study will serve as a reference in the attempt to develop and reproduce promising robots to assist English teaching and learning that are accessible to public schools.

STEAM Education in a Preschool Institution Using LEGO Education Methodology and Tools

STEAM education inspires children to engage in creative activities, research, enriches their play experience, and should be integrated already at the preschool level, as this level provides the best return on an individual’s motivation and ensures his further development. The article discusses the LEGO education methodology and its benefits in promoting the learning of STEAM subjects. The research aim is to reveal teachers’ views about the development of STEAM skills of preschool children using innovative LEGO education methodology and tools. 12 pedagogues from preschool education institutions in Vilnius, Panevėžys and Telšiai participated in the study, during which pedagogues organized 10 educational activities with STEAM Park and Maker tools according to prepared plans. After each activity, pedagogues reflected on the benefits of the activity for the 4–6 years old children, their achievements, organizational successes, and difficulties. Discussing pedagogues’ reflections on the LEGO education methodology and the results of testing its’ tools allowed to reveal the unique benefits for the growth of children’s achievements such as teamwork, conflict management, leadership, problem solving, learning to learn. Pedagogues noted that the development of STEAM capabilities, active participation of children, learning through personal experience, and experimentation are emphasized. It is also remarkable that children willingly choose LEGO blocks during their free play, which shows the effectiveness and practical usefulness of this innovative methodology.

Pokolenie Alfa w szkole. Działania projektowo-wdrożeniowe z wykorzystaniem ICT

The text describes project activities which were created in response to the previous diagnostic-correlation research within the area of ICT competences carried out among schoolchildren and teachers in Lubuskie and adjacent voivodeships by E. Baron-Polańczyk. It consists of a theoretical introduction including the characteristics of website-related education, some reflexions on X, Y, Z and Alpha generations as well as the interpretation of activities of these groups in modern school. The following part of the text comprises some examples of project activities carried out in 2017–2022 among children and teenagers from rural areas and small towns of Lubuskie voivodeship. These activities exploited practical methods of mixed education, learning through experiencing and interdisciplinary education based on STEAM concept. A lot of attention was paid to solutions inspired by Lego sets: Lego MINDSTORMS, Lego Classic, Lego Education etc.

From Scratch to Python : Lego Robots as Motivational Tools for Coding

Educational Robotics is a specific interdisciplinary field that improves learning experience and develops student skills and competences through robotic-based activities. Constructing of robot models provide hands-on experiences for children while programming the built model teach basic coding knowledge for them. Instead of use text-based programming languages coding can be learned by a Scratch-based language in an age-appropriate way. Educational robots are excellent tools of introducing and teaching programming at all levels of education, though most of them aim at pupils in primary and secondary schools. LEGO Education's products also stand out among the educational robots thanks to their high quality and the very wide range of projects and teaching materials. The recently released Lego robot, SPIKE Prime, can also be programmed in Python, providing a playful way to learn the basics of object-oriented programming even in higher education.

Construction of an amusement park using STEAM and LEGO education to participate in the science fair

This article explains details of the participation in the Science Fair that took place in the 2019 school year by some seventh-grade students from “Colegio Isidro Caballero Delgado”, Floridablanca, Colombia. This event is a space established by the institution, which takes place once a year to show different projects and experiments carried out by students from each of the school grades. The seventh-grade students for their participation took as their theme an Amusement Park; with this theme, they built different prototypes that resemble mechanical attractions using LEGO Education cards and applying STEAM. The aim is to explain different themes seen in the mathematics course during the year playfully and amusingly to the participating public through the operation of each of these prototypes and physics topics in its structure or operation. The structure of the document contains a first section, the introduction in which the context of the educational institution, the development of the science fair, and the use of LEGO Education cards for the 2019 version are addressed; a section II where the methodology and the applied strategy are detailed; in section III the results obtained are mentioned, and finally, in section IV the conclusions and possible recommendations are presented.

APPLICATION OF EDUCATIONAL ROBOTICS IN THE PEDAGOGICAL PROCESS

Educational robotics and its trends determine the innovative and creative educational context. This article discusses the current issues of rethinking educational robotics. Attention is focused on the potential for expanding the capabilities of educational robotics and the pedagogical capacity building of intelligent technologies in this area. Examples of the introduction of robotics in education, namely in physics and computer science classes, based on the Lego Education and Arduino are considered. Specific topics for the physics teachers are presented in the following section:" Mechanical movement "based on Lego;" Sound and sound waves. Speed wave", "Theory of electrical circuits" based on electronic components. For computer science teachers-programming on the Arduino IDE and drawing diagrams based on the Sprint Layout 6.0 program are offered. At the same time, the article can be a prototype for the application of educational robotics in other disciplines and the implementation of interdisciplinary connections.

Programming educational robots based on Lego Education EV3 in the Python programming language

Programming educational robots based on Lego Education EV3 in the Python programming language

Case studies: learning strategy incorporating Lego Education in the seventh-grade math course at the school

This article presents reflections on the use of case studies that revolve around the student’s environment to use it as an input in the development of the mathematics course in the seventh grades at the “Isidro Caballero Delgado” school in Floridablanca, Santander, Colombia. With this experience, it can be determined that the use of robotics prototypes in mathematics is a support tool as a pedagogical strategy in the student’s learning process, strengthening not only the academic but also their comprehensive training. That is why students use the construction of the prototypes not only to learn mathematical concepts for better understanding, analysis, and critical reasoning but also to develop technical language in an empirical way giving answers to the laws of physics in the prototype or its function. This work is part of doctoral research where 60 students of the experimental group participated. The structure of the document contains a first section with the introduction, second section where the methodology and the applied strategy are detailed; in section third the results obtained are mentioned; and finally, in fourth section, the conclusions and possible recommendations are presented.

Developing European Key Competences with Green Education

Building&Learning Project is action-research focused on the environmental consequences of technology. The didactic design is structured on the classic program proposed for the scholar discipline Technology for the first grade of secondary school; it tries to answer to the requirements of the National Plan for a Digital School (PNSD). Our first aim is to overcome the diktat “teach how to use the media” and reach the capacity to “teach with the media”, to avoid the danger of a “technocentric illusion” and to get the purpose to develop the competences proposed by Europe and Italy. Our teacher-researcher prepared every lesson to help the students to: a) get the disciplinary aim; b) understand the process and the consequences that every technology brings with itself; c) apply the theory in a practice activity. Every lesson is divided in two phases: the theoretical part is based on the method of Cooperative Learning, while the second part is a practice activity where students build with LEGO Education Kit a model that forecasts the application of the theory. After the first period, we introduced also a Story-telling part because the students showed great difficulty in expressing the theory explained. 
 Keywords: European key competences - Media Education – Cooperative Learning – Sustainability education – STEM

DEVELOPMENT OF ALGORITHMIC THINKING IN PRESCHOOL AND PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS AT PROGRAMMING AND ROBOTICS CLASSES

The article considers the features of the continuous development of algorithmic thinking in preschoolers and primary school students at programming and robotics classes. The expediency of using various software and hardware tools for preschoolers and primary school students, such as Gigo Kids First Coding & Robotics, the freeware PictoMir, the LEGO Education WeDo robotic kit, and the object-oriented visual programming environment Scratch, is described. Practical tips for using these products are provided.

The Impact of Using the LEGO Education Program on Mathematics Achievement of Different Levels of Elementary Students

<p style="text-align:justify">This study aims to investigate the impact of using a LEGO Education program, specifically the “MoreToMath” kit, on the achievement of Deferent Levels of Elementary Students. The quantitative research design was used in this research study, and the participants were comprised of 120 elementary school students in the 2nd grade, in Amman, Jordan. A quasi-experimental research method and the MANCOVA were used, and a study tool to measure achievement was developed by the researcher for which the validity and reliability of achievement were verified. The results of the study show that there was a statistically significant improvement (α ≤0.05) in the achievement of the experimental study group, that studied using LEGO education, over the control group. There is also a statistically significant difference (α ≤ 0.05) between the arithmetic means of the three sub-groups of students’ previous achievement levels— high, middle, and low— and by using the Least Significant Differences (LSD) test we notice that there are significant differences between the high and low sub-groups, as well as between the middle and low. However, that there are no significant differences between the high and middle level sub-groups; and there is also no statistically significant interaction between the groups (experimental, control) and the levels of pre-achievement seen in the post-achievement levels. The study results indicate that the use of new technological tools, like the “MoreToMath” kit, may be beneficial in teaching mathematics as they tend to motivate students, and can lead to higher achievement for elementary students of different mathematics aptitude levels.</p>

ВПЛИВ НАВЧАЛЬНИХ РОБОТОТЕХНІЧНИХ КОНСТРУКТОРІВ НА РОЗВИТОК ПІЗНАВАЛЬНОЇ АКТИВНОСТІ УЧНІВ

Over the past few years, growing toys are becoming increasingly popular. A special place among them began to occupy the children's training sets of designers, and in connection with the development of electronic computing equipment began to appear sets of training designers robotics. These designers are intended to develop not only the design abilities of children, but also the basics of algorithmic thinking, because they provide the possibility of programming children created structures. This, in turn, makes it possible to use them in school lessons in physics, mathematics and computer science. To date, the largest amount of methodical materials provided by the designers of the company LEGO. Formulating the problem. Therefore, it is worth noting the importance of developing methods for using educational designers in school lessons. In scientific publications, you can find many materials that address the importance of the development of small motility in children and its impact on mental development. However, there are almost no studies concerning the influence of educational constructors on the development of fine motor skills, mathematical thinking and design abilities. Materials and methods. The study of the influence of educational constructors on cognitive activity of students is based on empirical methods: collection of scientific facts – analysis of scientific and methodological literature, textbooks and teaching aids; studying the results of pedagogical research. Results. According to the results of the analysis of scientific publications and methodical materials, the use of educational designers in preschool and elementary school helps to increase interest in education in general, and in the primary school increases interest in the study of physics, computer science and mathematics. Conclusions. Today, the study of the influence of educational designers on the formation of physical and technical knowledge of students is most developed in the methodological materials supplied with sets LEGO. However, these methods are not well suited for the introduction into the educational program of physics, mathematics and computer science in Ukrainian schools. Within the framework of the joint project, the LEGO Foundation and the Ministries of Education are beginning to develop new methods for the implementation of educational designers in the educational process, but they are limited to elementary and pre-school education. Key words: educational robotics, educational constructors, LEGO Education, cognitive activity, educational experiment.

The use of LEGO Mindstorms to create a model of the surgical robot arm for the education of medical students

Abstract The aim of the work is to assess the use of LEGO-based robotics in the education of medical students. Training on specialized robotic surgery simulators is available only to a small group of specialists. The LEGO Mindstorms was used to create a model of the surgical robot arm. The model is controlled by a specially prepared panel created in the LabVIEW. The functionality of the model of a surgical robot arm allows people who have not been using these robots to become familiar with the basics of their operation. Medical students using the arm will be able to observe structural problems: the stiffness of construction, or its utility, the range of movements and its limitations, motion and force control using different robotic manipulators. The use of a modular computer programming language and a modular building platform problem in LEGO Education contributes to the development of critical thinking and problem solving, and these skills are useful to physicians during their work.

Применение робототехники на коррекционно-развивающих занятиях для обучающихся с интеллектуальными нарушениями (умственной отсталостью)

This article is about the ways of using robotics in education, special education, to be precise. The author lists ways of using robotics on the basis of Lego Education More To Math platform. In the conclusion author gives a summary of his experiments and speaks of effectiveness of this particular method of studying.

Organizational System for the LEGO WeDo 2.0 Robotics System

In this article, we explain an organizational system for the new LEGO Education WeDo 2.0 Core Set used in 4-H robotics; in school enrichment, afterschool, and other youth robotics programs; and by hobbyists. The system presented is for organizing WeDo parts into a translucent parts tray that includes part names and numbers. The article provides step-by-step instructions for obtaining needed materials and constructing the parts inventory card. The system allows for personalization of the parts card to facilitate equipment management.

When Kids are challenged to solve real problems – Case study on transforming learning with interpersonal presence and digital technologies

Whereas the world around us changes radically, innovations in the school system tend to be extremely slow. In the era of digitalization this is particularly unfortunate, since kids urgently need to acquire skills that teachers were not prepared to teach. This situation calls for new models of education. This case study is about implementing one such model, namely applying the Stanford Design Thinking Method to let pupils design elements of their life like schoolbags, classrooms and robots, and implement prototypes using technologies such as Minecraft, Micro:bit, and Lego Education. In the innovative educational intervention 'MadeByKids', the DaVinci Lab, an external organization, worked with pupils (at grade K2 to K6, in sum about 450 children), in a series of three workshops at 17 Austrian schools. We researched the workshops via a case study on essential features of the intervention and by quantitative and qualitative pre-test and post-test questionnaires of pupils. Results show that pupils learn meaningfully regarding programming as well as social competences and most of them enjoy this kind of active learning. Results also indicate clearly that - even though the intervention is centered at children - their teachers need to be intensively included, otherwise a remarkable share of them may experience a loss of control over their class and remain skeptical. Besides discussing the results of the survey, the authors address the challenge of sustainability and share important learnings from the project.