Primary School Teachers’ Conceptions about the Use of Robotics in Mathematics

Abstract

Learning about the conceptions used by primary school teachers towards the use of robotics in class is essential as the first step towards its application in the classroom. Therefore, with the purpose of describing the understanding applied when teaching and learning mathematics use educational robots, research was conducted by means of mixed methods using a descriptive design by survey. Such research consisted of closed questions (Likert-type scale from 1 to 5) and open questions, given to 83 primary school teachers who currently teach students in the first years of school (First to Fourth grade) in two Chilean districts. The results showed that in general, there is a positive predisposition towards the addition of robots in the learning and teaching of mathematic processes during the first years of school, even though teachers claim there is a struggle to incorporate robots in their lessons due to the high number of students and the reduced space in their classrooms.

Reflections of future kindergarten teachers on the design of a mathematical instruction process didactic sequences with the use of robots

“…In the case studied, first of all, we can recognize that the data show that both in phases 1 and 2, the working groups implicitly consider the DSC. This issue was considered a research premise has given to a considerable number of theoretical antecedents that have identified the implicit use of these DSCs in the reflections of teachers or future teachers when they reflect on the teaching practices of mathematics (Hummes et al, 2020;Morales-López & Font, 2019;Seckel et al, 2019Seckel et al, , 2021.…”

“…that they had to consider for teaching-computational language in mathematics class. According to Seckel et al (2021), this could be due to future teachers' anxiety about using a resource with which they have no previous experience.…”

“…Considering that the training path proposed by Chile's national digital language plan contemplates the development of CP from 0 to 18 years old, it is essential to advance the development of teacher training programs of all educational levels in the field of CT. In particular, there is a need to introduce teacher training programs that seek to promote CT from early childhood (Acevedo-Borrega et al, 2022;Ribeiro et al, 2011;Seckel et al, 2021). Therefore, it is necessary to guide the kindergarten teachers to develop the MT through the CT and reflect on it, either from the resolution of programming tasks (Seckel et al, 2022) or, from the design of didactic sequences using robots adapted to the early school ages as a way of educational innovation (Benton et al, 2017;Leidl et al, 2017;Sáez & Cózar, 2017;Sullivan & Bers, 2015;Sullivan et al, 2017aSullivan et al, , 2017b.…”

Artificial intelligence in mathematics education: A systematic literature review

“…Mathematics teacher educators and teachers should consider using innovative tools not typically seen in classrooms, such as robotics, in mathematics instruction as they work to support a focus on reasoning and sense making and make connections to children's community and cultural funds of knowledge (Harper et al, 2021). There is a positive predisposition towards the addition of robots in the learning and teaching of mathematic processes during the first years of school, even though teachers claim there is a struggle to incorporate robots in their lessons due to the high number of students and the reduced space in their classrooms (Seckel et al, 2021). One form of technology that has been shown to be beneficial to the learning of mathematics is LEGO robotics, namely EV3 Mindstorms.…”

“…The AI approach used in mathematics education for the samples studied were through robotics, systems, tools, teachable agent, autonomous agent, and a comprehensive approach. As seen in Figure 3, the majority of AI approach used for the samples studied were through robotics (45%, n=9) (Casler-Failing, 2018Forsström & Afdal., 2019;Francis & Davis, 2018;Harper et al, 2021;Lopez-Caudana et al, 2020;Rico-Bautista et al, 2019;Sáez-López, 2019;Seckel et al, 2021) and followed by systems (15%, n=5) (Moreno-Esteva et al, 2018;Mills, 2021;Rojano & Garcia-Campos, 2017;Saha et al, 2020;Zakaria et al, 2021). There were two researches that practiced teachable agent's (Gulz et al, 2020;Song, 2017) and also two research mathematical tools' (Dunzhin & Gustafsson, 2018;Salas-Rueda et al, 2020) approach of AI in mathematics education.…”