Why Every School Should Have A Robotics Curriculum

By 2030, the skills needed for professionals to be employable and build a successful career look very different from what was relevant ten years ago. Success in the workplace will not only be determined by domain skills such as software development, accounting, and design.

With automation replacing a lot of roles that are in demand today, children will need to develop several critical skills that can help them bring innovation, creativity, and analytical skills to any project. But how can they teach such skills early on?

Research indicates that having a robotics curriculum in school enables children to hone their cognitive, conceptual, language, and collaborative skills early on.

What is a robotics curriculum?

Robots have always fascinated people of all ages and have been popularized through pop culture. This makes it easy to grab children’s attention and introduce them to robotics, even though it is a branch of engineering. The aim of robotics enables us to build intelligent machines that assist us in several ways.

Children are exposed to the basics of robotics using tools like sensors, LEGO pieces, and motors. Then, they get hands-on experience in building robots from scratch. This Do It Yourself (DIY) approach of a robotics curriculum is highly appealing to kids and helps them build multiple skills.

Four critical skills honed during a robotics class

Introducing a robotics curriculum is one of the most effective ways to get children excited about engineering and simultaneously help them hone multiple skills.

This is because children learn faster when they are having fun . Since many kids love to play with robots as toys, imagine their excitement as they learn how to make them!

Here’s a rundown of some critical skills developed in the robotics classroom: –

Problem-Solving Skills

Problem-solving is one of the top skills in demand in the workforce today. It is not merely the acquisition of knowledge and scoring of marks that is important, but the ability of professionals to use knowledge to solve real-world problems in a limited period. In addition, the study and creation of robots demand problem-solving abilities. Hence, children develop this skill in the classroom as they tinker with different solutions to the same problem.

Teamwork

With the world of work shifting to the remote and hybrid model, children must learn to collaborate with teams and become team players early on. For example, a robotics curriculum requires children to work in teams and build robots collaboratively. This experience helps children appreciate each other’s talents, share skills and knowledge, and complete projects as a team.

Critical Thinking Skills

Today automation and the use of robotics are solving many real-world challenges. As children progress in their robotics curriculum, they will also start asking relevant questions. What is the problem we are trying to solve? Can we solve it using fewer resources and time? What are the more significant issues we need to solve that can help our community? Engaging around these more profound questions also prepares students to participate in competitions, get exposure and recognition, and further hone skills.

Creativity & Innovative Mindset

To be able to compete in today’s world, professionals must be able to think creatively and keep innovating. Whether one works as a writer, technologist, designer, or product manager, creativity helps one stand out and bring excellence to the job. Likewise, the journey to building a robot demands that children be creative and innovative at every step. A gamified environment encourages them to take risks and develop innovative solutions.

Building a Stellar Robotics Curriculum

One of the challenges several schools face is the lack of resources or know-how to build a robotics curriculum. Another challenge is that key stakeholders are not ready to upgrade the curriculum with subjects relevant to today’s world of work.

However, virtual schools such as 21KSchool have the vision and foresight to add contemporary subjects like robotics. Children have access to well-curated online resources that enable them to understand the fundamentals of robotics with depth. They can work on multiple projects along with their teammates, helping them build skills , as well as collaborate with students around the world.

A robotics curriculum instills a love for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) subjects and prepares children for the careers of tomorrow . As they build knowledge of robotics, it opens up many avenues for growth and a career path in several in-demand fields.