Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.36978/cte.7.1.1
Possibilities of implementing LEGO education in the first grade of elementary school: Perceptions of teachers of the subject of Informatics
Jadran Jelić
; Faculty of Science, University of Split
Vladimir Pleština
orcid.org/0000-0001-9621-0763
; Faculty of Science, University of Split
Abstract
Robotics is a multidisciplinary field that has increasingly entered the field of education in the last ten years. However, its application in primary schools is still at a low level. The research in this paper was made with the aim of elucidating the problems in the use of robotics within the subject of Informatics and analysing the degree of interest of teachers in the implementation of the LEGO WeDo 2.0 educational program in the first grades of elementary school. The research was conducted among 70 teachers of the Informatics subject in elementary schools in the city of Zagreb. The research cycle had three phases, and an online questionnaire was used as a research instrument. At the beginning, the research participants answered the questions from the first part of the questionnaire, and then they were subjected to an online presentation that contained a description of the LEGO WeDo 2.0 programming interface and a proposal for a robotics curriculum for first-grade elementary school students and how to implement it in the Informatics subject. After listening to the presentation, the participants proceeded to fill out the second part of the questionnaire, i.e. the assessment of LEGO WeDo 2.0 robotics education. The results show that personal attitudes about the possibilities of using robotics in teaching changed after watching the presentation, teachers showed a high level of readiness to implement and use the LEGO WeDo educational program in teaching materials for the first grades of elementary school. As the biggest advantages of the educational program, they recognized the raising of digital and IT literacy among students, the stimulation of critical thinking and interest in STEM disciplines, and they see the biggest limitation in the high costs of purchasing robot sets. Limitations also stem from some personal factors.
Keywords
robotics; LEGO WeDo 2.0; robotics in Informatics; elementary school; robotics in education
Hrčak ID:
304506
URI
Publication date:
20.6.2023.
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