Robots in the classroom: what research says
Robotics helps learning above all when it serves a subject goal. Social robots open up other uses.
ObjectiveDesign a robotics activity aimed at a specific learning outcome and measure its effect.
A 2012 systematic review of robotics in schools concluded that robotics generally contributes to learning, especially in science and mathematics, but that some studies show no gain. The difference lies in the design: a clear subject goal and a guided activity, rather than robotics for its own sake.
In Switzerland, the Thymio robot, designed at EPFL and open, was conceived for schools: inexpensive, robust and programmable in several ways, from visual events to text. Its designers describe its deployment in classes at every level.
Social robots, which talk and respond to the student, are the subject of other research. A 2018 review shows positive effects on certain targeted learning, such as vocabulary, along with technical limitations and ethical questions about the child’s relationship with the machine.
References
- Benitti (2012). Exploring the educational potential of robotics in schools: A systematic review. Computers & Education 58(3), p. 978–988. doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2011.10.006
- Mondada, Bonani, Riedo et al. (2017). Bringing Robotics to Formal Education: The Thymio Open-Source Hardware Robot. IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine 24(1), p. 77–85. doi.org/10.1109/MRA.2016.2636372
- Belpaeme, Kennedy, Ramachandran et al. (2018). Social robots for education: A review. Science Robotics 3(21), eaat5954. doi.org/10.1126/scirobotics.aat5954