Trends in Education
Students in the Primary School use the LEGO WeDo robotics kits as a fun way to develop problem-solving, communication, coding and building skills.
How to build and programme different robots introduces them to science, computational thinking and engineering principles. Students are also encouraged to develop their creativity by ‘thinking outside the box’ to design, build, and programme their own robots.
WeDo 2.0 is a robotics kit developed by LEGO which promotes design and building of programmable robots. It develops students’ problem-solving and teamwork skills as well as introducing them to coding, design, and engineering concepts.
The kit contains standard LEGO building blocks, as well as a motor, a Bluetooth connector to allow for wireless programming, a tilt sensor, a motion sensor, and several gears and wheels. These additional pieces mean that robots that move and react to their environment can be built.
In the Primary School the kits are mainly used during the Robotics ASAs where students can focus on robot building and programming for an hour at a time. However, they are occasionally used throughout the year in class where it is relevant to a unit of inquiry.
At ISL we believe that these kits develop important skills in a fun and engaging way – students are building these skills without even realizing most of the time. They become more resilient learners when they work hard to figure out how they can make their robots do particular things.
Gradient Issue #2: The magazine of the International School of Lausanne
In this edition, we explore how our community has coped during this special year to make the best of it. We also have a special section on multilingualism and how it can both benefit and challenge our students.