Ready for Robotics: The Missing T and E of STEM in Early Childhood Education

该项目调查了机器人在幼儿教育中的应用。它有两个目标：开发和评估专门为早期儿童教育（PreK-2）设计的低成本，适合发展的机器人构建工具包，以及为早期儿童教育工作者提供基于机器人的专业发展模式，以教授工程和技术。包括一些研究问题。参与的教师在多大程度上获得了机器人、工程、编程和教学法方面的知识？他们在多大程度上增加了对儿童早期机器人使用的熟悉、舒适和理解？参加研究所能在多大程度上支持从知识到行动的转变？幼儿教师使用什么过程/标准将工程和技术融入他们的传统课程？老师们会在课堂上采用机器人工具包和课程吗？他们如何使其适应自己的实践？在采用和适应方面，预测成功结果的因素是什么？教师的教学实践在多大程度上发生了改变，从而证明了对幼儿教育中科技作用的理解？机器人提供了一个有趣的桥梁，使早期儿童项目更具学术挑战性，同时尊重游戏在发展轨迹中的重要性。假设幼儿可以通过玩齿轮、杠杆、马达、传感器而成为工程师；程序员通过探索序列、循环和变量。机器人可以成为孩子们学习应用数学概念、科学探究方法和解决问题的途径。此外，与机器人操纵者一起工作使孩子们在玩耍学习和学习玩耍的同时参与社会互动和谈判。机器人技术要成功地融入幼儿课堂，需要考虑三个因素：机器人技术需要与发展相适应且成本低；教师应该接触到专业发展。这个项目解决了这些问题。它通过解决教育部门的需求，即儿童早期，在缺乏新技术和方法的情况下，以适合发展的方式教授技术和工程，从而为新兴的机器人教育领域做出了贡献。

The project investigates the use of robotics into early childhood education. It address two objectives: to develop and evaluate a low-cost, developmentally appropriate robotic construction kit specifically designed for early childhood education (PreK-2) and to pilot a robotics-based professional development model for early childhood educators to teach engineering and technology. A number of research questions are included. To what extent did participating teachers gained knowledge about robotics, engineering and programming, and pedagogies? To what extent have they increased their familiarity of, comfort with, and understanding of the use of robotics in early childhood? To what extent participating in the institute can support the passage from knowledge to action? What processes/standards are used by early childhood teachers to integrate engineering and technology into their traditional curriculum? Do teachers adopt the robotics kit and curriculum for their classrooms? How do they adapt it to their own practices? What are the factors that predict successful outcomes in terms of adoption and adaptation? To what extent has the teaching practice of the teachers changed in a way that demonstrates understanding of the role of T and E in early childhood education?Robotics provides a playful bridge to make early childhood programs more academically challenging while honoring the importance of play in the developmental trajectory. The assumption is that young children can become engineers by playing with gears, levers, motors, sensors; and programmers by exploring sequences, loops and variables. Robotics can be a gateway for children to learn about applied mathematical concepts, the scientific method of inquiry, and problem solving. Moreover, working with robotic manipulatives engages children in social interactions and negotiations while playing to learn and learning to play. For robotics to be successfully integrated into the early childhood classroom, there are three factors that need to be considered: the robotics technology needs to be developmentally appropriate and low-cost; and teachers should be exposed to professional development. This project addresses these issues. It contributes to the emerging field of robotics in education by addressing the needs of an educational segment, early childhood, where there is a lack of new technologies and approaches to teach technology and engineering in a developmentally appropriate way.