Lessons with robots heaps of fun
Lessons that include robots and balloons are definitely more fun, Whakarongo School children have found.
Pupils at the school have spent the year doing projects involving coding, electronics, robots and physics experiments.
The $60,000 two-year project begins at year 1, teaching kids to explore fun new ways to learn about STEM subjects - science, technology, engineering and maths.
The project is funded by a government grant aimed at developing a programme and methods other schools can also use and adapt.
‘‘The kids love it,’’ principal Jaco Broodryk said. ‘‘Because we all learn a lot by doing, rather than just talking about it.’’
‘‘It makes it purposeful, because otherwise, kids get bored very quickly, you see the results of your actions and where you’ve gone wrong, for debugging.’’
When the Manawatu¯ Standard visited, one class was battling the robots they had coded and built, and another was having a race with deflating balloons that were making farting noises.
The focus is on projects that develop innovation and creativity to solve problems, Broodryk said.
‘‘We’ve had really good feedback from parents about how enthusiastic the kids are. Some are going home and wanting to do coding and asking for equipment to use at home.’’
11-year-old Kaija Fouhy, said she was excited by the idea robots could be created that could do anything.
‘‘I want to become a computer scientist. It’s going to be big in the future and I really want to help people.’’
The school is sharing the project online, at teaching conferences, and has already attracted visiting teachers who want to learn more some from schools as far away as Auckland.