Robotics & Constructivism in Education: the TERECoP project

This paper presents the European project “Teacher Education on Robotics-Enhanced Constructivist Pedagogical Methods” (TERECoP). A first premise of this project concerns the implementation of constructivist – constructionist methods not only in classroom, but in teacher education as well. A second premise is referred to the technology-enhanced learning as occurred in the implementation of different kinds of curriculum innovation in the classrooms. A third is related with the emerging need for a teaching as a research-based profession and for the creation of a culture in which researchers and teachers can create a shared body of knowledge. Although the role of teacher is crucial for the successful introduction of robotics in classrooms, only few projects have been undertaken to train school teachers in using this, completely new for them, technology. TERECoP project’s aim and ambition is to contribute to fill in this gap suggesting a constructivist model of teacher training in these new technologies. Learning theories, modelling, technology and languages are the main aspects we will have to deal with. The main questions we are currently trying to answer (probably in this order) are: what is “Robotics” at School? Which methodology should we use to apply “Robotics” at school and teacher education? How can we design educational activities (within students’ curricula and teacher training courses) once we have answered to the two previous questions? Our work within the TERECoP project tries to give some answers to these questions. The paper describes the starting point of this project, focusing on the context, on the aims of the project and on the different partners’ countries experiences, and outlines the different stages that are going to be developed to implement the project giving a description of every one. Finally some preliminary conclusions are presented.