Robots and Romeo and Juliet: Studying Teacher Integration of Robotics Into Middle School Curricula

• In Event: Science and Inquiry in Technology-Based Learning Environments

Abstract

To increase opportunities for more students to engage in technology innovation, the Creative Robotics project supports robotics integration into disciplinary classrooms. The project provides professional development and resources to teachers in non-technical subjects (e.g., health, science, English), while enabling them to develop their own instructional strategies for integrating the Arts & Bots curriculum. A study of pedagogical and instructional approaches of 15 teachers during the project’s first year suggests that teachers used Arts & Bots as a tool to support student learning to: (1) facilitate translation of abstract disciplinary concepts into concrete exemplars; (2) increase exposure to disciplinary material; or (3) increase familiarity with technology. This research underscores the importance of integrated curricula that consider disciplinary needs and technological affordances.

Authors

• Debra Bernstein, TERC

• Karen Mutch-Jones, TERC

• Emily Hamner, Carnegie Mellon University

• Jennifer Light Cross, Carnegie Mellon University