Bee-Bots are cheerful, yellow, programmable floor robots. They can be used to teach logical reasoning, directional language, debugging and many of the skills associated with the new Computing curriculum. They are very popular in schools, especially in KS1, where they can be used as an early introduction to the sequencing skills required for coding. Bee-Bots can be used to help achieve two particular aims of the KS1 National Curriculum - creating and debugging simple programs, and using logical reasoning to predict the behaviour of simple programs. There is a growing body of academic research into the impact of using programmable toys in early education, something which I hope to study in depth as I move through the Computing course.
I was lucky enough to borrow a Bee-Bot from the University before I start my GPP Placement, and have spent some time researching how they can be used in the classroom. There are many educational videos on YouTube showing a Bee-Bot or Bots in action. I was especially impressed by the ability of the Bee-Bot to be used across the curriculum - from helping children learn to PSED skills, to angles and position in Maths, and map skills in Geography. After reading the Barefoot Computing guide to Bee-Bots and watching some great video content, I was inspired to create a physical floor maze, and create a sequence of commands which would allow my Bee-Bot to travel around the maze without knocking into walls or getting lost. You can buy mats with pre-drawn maps or mazes, but I made a basic series of walls with pens and objects as obstacles.
The sequence is inputted via chunky buttons on the top of the robot. The Bee-Bot has the capacity for 40 commands, which can also be cleared if the student wishes to start again. Sound effects, light up eyes and bright colours make the Bee-Bot an attractive resource for children to use. To demonstrate the Bee-Bot in action, I have created a short video using iMovie.
I previously worked as a TA in EYFS, and observed the use of Bee-Bots in our computing sessions. However, it had been a little while since I had used one, and so I was careful to look up instructions and watch some demonstrations before I got started. The process of learning how to use the Bee-Bot was incredibly easy - I felt proficient within 10-20 minutes of playing around and getting to grips with how it worked. I solidified my understanding by teaching a friend how to use the Bee-Bot - I first explained that coding and sequencing were now part of the National Curriculum, demonstrated how the controls are used to create a sequence, and set them off to play with it themselves. My friend had never used a programmable floor robot before, but was able to navigate around the maze after only a short while. Allowing my friend to play with the Bee-Bot and understand how it works via independent investigation was a deliberate pedagogical choice based on my understanding of constructivist education - allowing children to learn through experience and self-directed activity. I would use my simple maze activity with a KS1 class, although this could easily be adapted for KS2. Hopefully I will get the chance to try this out on my GPP placement! Additional Links TTS website - www.tts-group.co.uk/bee-bot-rechargeable-floor-robot/1001794.html General guide to Bee-Bots - www.odigo21.educacion.navarra.es/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/BeebotguideA4v2.pdf Code-It six-week lesson plan - www.code-it.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/y1beebotplan.pdf Using a Programmable Toy at Preschool Age: Why and How?' - www.dei.unipd.it/~emg/downloads/SIMPAR08-WorkshopProceedings/TeachingWithRobotics/pekarova.pdf Early Mathematics Learning through Exploration with Programmable Toys -http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.688.897&rep=rep1&type=pdf#page=198 The Effect of a Classroom-Based Intensive Robotics and Programming Workshop on Sequencing Ability in Early Childhood - Kazakoff, E.R., Sullivan, A. & Bers, M.U. Early Childhood Educ J (2013) 41: 245. doi:10.1007/s10643-012-0554-5 Brief Overview of Constructivist Education Theory - www.ucdoer.ie/index.php/Education_Theory/Constructivism_and_Social_Constructivism_in_the_Classroom The Computing National curriculum - www.computingatschool.org.uk/data/uploads/primary_national_curriculum_-_computing.pdf
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