An engaging activity incorporating programming, problem solving and collaborative learning for Stage 3 students
NXT robotic building and programming addresses many of the Critical and Creative capabilities mentioned in the new Australian Curriculum -
- Critical and creative thinking are embedded in the skills of posing questions, making predictions, speculating, solving problems through investigation, making evidence-based decisions, and analysing and evaluating evidence.
(http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Science/General-capabilities#Critical-and-creative-thinking) - Engaging students in reasoning and thinking about solutions to problems and the strategies needed to find these solutions are core parts of the Mathematics curriculum.
(http://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/Mathematics/General-capabilities#Critical-and-creative-thinking)
We have built up our NXT kits over a number of years to now having 15 sets so they can be used by groups of 2 or 3 students. Each year we bought a couple of sets and added more to the collection by using our points from the Woolworths Earn to Learn programme.
The kits contain hundreds of parts and fortunately a guide to show the students and teachers!) how the basic model is put together. Because this is quite time consuming I generally keep the basic build from year to year & only remove the extras ready for new users. It also keeps many of those small parts "safe" |
The final 2 projects involve using sensors to follow an outline and "finding" the red ball and knocking it off the stand (see the videos below)
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Once the students have grasped the basics, they can be given all sorts of challenges.
- Progamming their robot to travel a certain distance by calculating the distance moved in 1 wheel revolution
- Following a path to create shapes
- Building a robot which can go out, pick up an item and return it
- Programming the robot to dance
- Entering the Robo Cup Junior Challenge (dance, soccer or Rescue)....and much more