This bachelor was written in regards to the recent implementation of the mandatory teaching of programming in Swedish schools. This extensive addition to our curriculum requires the further education of teachers and the needs to invest in specialised educational materials. In this bachelor, we have collected research through contacting various prominent educational institutions around Skåne which have implemented programming in their curriculum using various types of robots. We wanted to establish what resources these institutions provide their educators when they teach programming. We also wanted to better understand the ways in which these institutions work with hardware and their thoughts on how hardware may affect students computational thinking, learning and self-motivation. To answer these questions, we interviewed several educators who specialise in programming and its use in schools. Even though, the different institutions had little or nothing to do with each other they basically shared the same basic ideas regarding the concept. This study concluded that according to teachers, computational and logical thinking increases when students work with LEGO-robots. When working with these robots, students were able to exercise their problem-solving abilities by using robots that they have constructed and programmed themselves. The system is easily implemented in schools since most students have prior knowledge of the LEGO construction mechanism. However, prior to being used for educational purposes, LEGO has most likely been associated with playtime and might therefore make it challenging for some students to work with it in a school environment. Another disadvantage with LEGO-robots is that the system uses block programming languages. This means that students understanding of text programming will not be exercised while working with these types of robots, limiting the depth of learning. In conclusion, to promote students’ comprehension of programming when working in an educational setting, the use of robots is greatly beneficial and almost essential. Even if only block programming is used, it is important to engage students and keep them excited during learning. According to teachers, enthusiasm regarding the subject will be a determining factor in their willingness to learn.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:mau-30296 |
| Date | January 2018 |
| Creators | Cordes Pettersson, Viktor, Fredlund, Josefin |
| Publisher | Malmö universitet, Fakulteten för lärande och samhälle (LS), Malmö universitet, Fakulteten för lärande och samhälle (LS), Malmö universitet/Lärande och samhälle |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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