Introducing robotics to teachers and schools: experiences from the TERECoP project

This joint paper is based on cooperative work done by the TERECoP project partnership during the 3 years of the project (2006-09) and presents a constructivist methodology for teacher training in robotic technology and its implementation within the framework of teacher training courses. The courses gave teachers the chance to pass from their initial role of a trainee in robotics to that of a teacher planning activities in robotics for their pupils. Some indicative examples from teacher training courses and activities in school classes are presented and commented. Finally, conclusions and recommendations based on our 3-years experiences from the TERECoP project are attempted. The TERECoP partnership through this paper aspires to contribute to the further development of the dialogue within the broader European and international community of educational robotics under the light of constructionism theory. Figure. Greek pupils in action with Lego Mindstorms NXT robotics kit