Case Study: Teaching Robotics to 4th and 5th Graders Class Online.

Incorporating robotics in the curriculum is receiving attention in formal education. Some of this attention is based on the belief that robotics offers an advantage in teaching scientific subjects and provide opportunities for students to learn by doing (Galvan, Botturi, Castellani, & Fiorini, 2006). While many robotic courses are taught face to face, efforts are being made to provide a virtual place for robotics (Buiu, Buga, & Coman, 2013; Candelas et al., 2003).

This proposal presents a case study examining the methods used to teach English and non-English speaking 4th and 5th graders who attended a sixteen-week blended robotics course. This course was designed to utilize online learning technologies and resources in a classroom setting to facilitate learning. In the classroom, the students could access their course materials online and work on their projects, test programs they created for the robot, discuss and share ideas in person. The teacher acted as a facilitator, asking challenging questions to help students solve the problems, answering questions and providing guidance to the students.

At the end of the semester it was determined that the hybrid course allowed the students to take learning into their own hands and were able to manage their own learning. Most of the non-English speaking students who had difficulty understanding English in class stated that their learning experience was fun and that the course design gave them the flexibility to do their course work outside of the classroom where they were most comfortable.