with Kim Chandler and Steve Coxon LEGO WeDo with Kim Chandler and Steve Coxon

Description LEGO WeDo provides an opportunity for students ages 6-9 to create working robots using LEGO bricks, motors, and sensors. Students write programs to tell their robot what to do. For example, students may create an alligator whose mouth closes when a motion sensor detects a finger.

WeDo instructions

Features The LEGO WeDo not only includes the usual bricks, but also has gears, rubber bands, string, sensors, and motors. This allows for inclusion of simple machines, mobility, engineering, and creative problem solving. Students write programs using an easy-to-learn, drag-and-drop block programming language. Programming is a great opportunity for students to develop logical thinking and problem solving skills.

WeDo programming screen shot

Available research Coxon (2009): A potential way to provide appropriate challenge for the spatially gifted Coxon (2010): Students involved in the year’s science theme can become active researchers, turning it into a tangible and meaningful inquiry experience that can then be shared with a real world audience. Melchior, Cutter, and Cohen (2004): 94% or more of all students participating in FIRST LEGO League had increases in interest in STEM, programming skills, problem-solving skills, teamwork skills, and leadership skills. Waks and Merdler (2003): designing, building, and programming a LEGO robot pushes students’ spatial reasoning and creative problem solving abilities. Petre and Price (2004): Effective understanding of programming and engineering principles. Geeter, Golder, and Nordin (2002): Middle school students competing in FLL gained a better understanding of engineering; improved creative thinking, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills; and increased self-confidence levels, interest, and involvement in science and math. Williams, Ma, Prejean, Ford, and Lai (2007): Physics content knowledge was improved in a study of robotics in a middle school summer program.

Educational applications Force, Motion, and Energy, including simple machines (SOLs: 1.2, 3.2, 4.2, 4.5) Scientific Investigation, Reasoning, and Logic, including measurement and the scientific method (SOLs K.1, 1.1, 2.1, 3.1, 4.1) Senses (SOL K.2) Ecosystems (SOLs K.6, 1.4, 1.7, 2.4, 2.5, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.9, 3.10, ) Engineering and spatial skill building Logic of computer programming (e.g., repeat loops)

Affordances Great tutorials to learn how to build and program with WeDo. Engaging because it is real world. Kids consider it playing, learning as they play. Actually hands-on: You can touch it. The building component: three-dimensional. Challenges spatial abilities, which are correlated with STEM success. Interdisciplinary: Integrating several subjects to resolve the problems. Incorporated REAL WORLD problem solving and having work in pairs including problem solving. This is the type of activity that adult scientists do. Appeals to kids who are into gaming so they can see behind the scenes Introduces kids to the logic of computer programming The skills can be transferred. -CRIN 604 2010 class

Constraints Cost Hard to align it to the curriculum Very difficult... learning curve Needs more direct instruction and guided practice Could ONLY be done in the classroom Organization of all of the pieces Classroom management Teacher needs to have some kind of knowledge of programming. -CRIN 604 2010 class