Using robots to teach programming to K-12 teachers

Abstract

We present the results of a pilot study in which twenty K-12 teachers were introduced to LEGO NXT-G robot programming through a three-day summer workshop. Our aim was to give teachers the confidence and skills to start after-school robotics programs with their students. We present details on the workshop, including the approach we used to recruit teachers and an overview of the three-day course. We discuss the data gathered from the teachers following the workshop and also give our own recommendations for others who may wish to run a similar program. Participants ranged from elementary school general classroom teachers to high school math, science, and even computer science teachers. Prior to attending our workshop, 89% of the teachers had little or no programming experience and generally were not very confident in their own ability to be able to learn how to program a robot. After completing the workshop, their confidence increased dramatically and they had a strong expectation that they would use the material with their students. A follow-up survey nine months later indicated that hundreds of students and many colleagues were impacted in the first year alone.