Why Every Child Should Learn Robotics Now: Instant Engagement, Creativity, and Future Skills

Robotics Lesson Plans by Rachana Nadella-Somayajula | Writer, Poet, Humorist

I’ve been teaching robotics since 2017, first at in person classes, then virtually during the pandemic and now back to in person, and there’s a common theme. When it comes to robotics, its instant engagement.

Everytime I teach a robotics class, I am amazed at the ingenuity and the creativity of my students. This past Sunday, a group of them were tinkering with Lego Mindstorm sets and we all had a blast. One of them had once hand written an entire strategy checklist of how we should be preparing for a national competition for Vex IQ Robotics.

Anyone who doesn’t know how to program a machine is going to bite the dust. Think once for yourself and think again for the machine. And teach it in a language that it understands in — coding. And that’s something parents really need to understand about the times we live in. STEM, the curriculum-based approach involving Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math — is everywhere.

It comes in different flavors, our favorite being STEAM, which adds the Creative aspect that Art and Playful exploration bring. Then there’s STREAM, which goes further to include Robotics, AI, and Programming. Roboticists have long talked about the benefits.

Whatever the disciplines, STEM is best adopted when children are taught in the context of real-world applications and solving project-based problems. In the context of learning, this is how STREAM becomes a powerful tool, because:
 
a. It inspires creativity and innovation
b. It reinforces critical thinking and reasoning
c. It promotes problem solving
d. It encourages flexibility and adaptive thinking
e. It supports collaboration and communication
 
So, I encourage you to help your children understand logic, time management, organization, design, creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, and problem solving — all the skills not actively taught in school.
 
A critical aspect of Robotics education is to teach programming and develop an insatiable curiosity for learning! The goal of a good STREAM education must be to put the power of computing in the hands of kids so they feel empowered to create rather than constantly consume.
 
1. To impart fundamentals of Robotics.
2. Examine how the Robotic engineering framework works.
3. Write and execute code.
4. Move and turn robots in the virtual or real world.
5. And where we can go with this knowledge to help solve human problems. And why wait to start doing great things, when we can start young?
 
Don’t know where to get started? Start with getting your kids some simple, cool table top robots. For teachers, here’s a simple lesson plan to get started. Let the robot battles begin!
 
 

About The Article Author:

Hi, I’m Rachana. Its been my dream for years to do something to consciously create a better future where every one of us is excited about our own potential. My challenge to everyone is that they aspire for their personal best and leave a legacy of their work through their contributions to mankind.

One more thing. In December of 2044, I hope to win the Nobel.

Will you join me on this journey of growth and transformation?
Namasté.

Inside The Ideal 21st Century Classroom

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