Content area
Full text
Current educational research and articles in the popular press make much of the need to incorporate a technology-rich learning environment into the teaching of the STEM areas (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), especially in the middle grades. Robotics are used to explore the idea of a technology rich program on students in a sixth-grade mathematics classroom. The purpose was to deepen the students' understanding of mathematics as well as their ability to solve problems and collaborate productively with peers. This occurred through a unique and innovative collaboration between a middle school and a university technology program that successfully integrated robotics as a pedagogical tool to improve STEM learning for sixth graders and university students. The students were engaged in robot challenges that required them to work together over the course of 1 semester. Analysis of the end of year state-mandated mathematics exam showed that students with the most involvement in the robotics program achieved higher scores on concepts associated with algebra, measurement, and probability, all skills related to the group problem solving with which they were engaged. Textual analyses of student writing via a class blog demonstrated the development of student experiences and perceptions of collaboration in important and interesting ways. This unique approach to using robotics to teach both mathematical and collaborative skills has broad implications for developing technology-rich STEM learning experiences.
Many of the recent calls for education reform from all quarters have insisted that today's students develop 21st century skills. Included in different versions of inventories of these 21st century skills are typically critical thinking and problem solving. Frequently, science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) areas are cited as vehicles for the development of these skills in students. The Next Generation Science Standards, for example, focuses on an integrated approach to teaching these STEM areas, as well as asserting that Engineering principles such as the development of powerful models, is essential to learning of science.
These types of educational initiatives are ideal for middle grade students. As Piaget and others have described (Harel & Papert, 1990; Kellough & Kellough, 2008; Piaget & Inhelder, 1972), these students are able to think concretely and creatively. They naturally find these STEM areas, along with inquiry and discovery teaching methods, are completely relevant and...