MER Project

Learning by doing education principles are becoming more and more standard in the school classrooms. Hands-on approach enables students to learn faster and more profound.

Robot as an educational tool has a potential to enhance learning experience by allowing hands-on and minds-on learning process in which students are able to express themselves, evaluate and innovate while at the same time they are exposed to team competition and the social interaction. The educational robotics is suitable for emphasis of the system thinking and the learning interdisciplinary subjects. Learning with educational robotics allows students introduction to STEAM disciplines (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) in a different way and provide them with an opportunity to explore different aspects using one platform – a robot. The process of design, construction, programming and creating documentation on robotics project are not just a learning process in different disciplines but an opportunity to improve the teamwork and skills while having fun and developing deep social interaction.

Educational robotics strengthens skill development by allowing unhindered direct student interaction with programming, electrical and mechanical systems and processes. That may create an engaging and motivating learning environment in which students are learning on their own whatever is needed for them to accomplish the goal in the project they have interest in. Such a learning process being open-ended enables expression of the students` creativity in problem solving and design activity and particularly in problem finding, idea generation, and inventing strategies.

Educational robotics:

•  Helps students to learn complex topics faster by using hands-on approach;
  
  
•  Could be very interesting tool to help students that cannot, due to whatever reason, attend the school. The access to cheap, personal robot students may be able to attain real school experience and interact with other using advanced communication tools;
  
  
•  Could help students with special needs to develop particular learning experience through a tailor-made path designed for every student by taking into accounts their needs and abilities;
  
  
•  Could help preparation of students for challenging new world of tomorrow. Working with robots may stimulate students to discover and build their own set of skills and prepare them for easier adaptation to learn environment of the competitive workforce of tomorrow.
  
  

By including the educational robotics into curricula teacher and students will have an opportunity to focus on open-ended challenges for both teachers and students but at the same time may gain a lot by facilitating students to express their interest, experience, and collaborative interactions in learning.