Teach Primary Issue 18.6

www.teachwire.net | 31 F EATURE S S T EM Invest time in training. Many organisations offer workshops and online courses specifically designed for teachers to get comfortable with coding and robotics. Form a support group with other teachers. Sharing experiences, troubleshooting together, and celebrating successes can make the journey much more enjoyable. Identify pupils who show a keen interest in technology and empower them to assist their peers. These ‘tech leaders’ can be invaluable resources in the classroom. Integrate physical computing into your lessons gradually. Begin with simple projects and build complexity as confidence grows. Incorporate robots into storytelling by programming them to act out parts of a story. This can enhance literacy skills and bring narratives to life. Combine subjects like history and science by having children program robots to re-enact historical events or scientific discoveries. Organise coding challenges or competitions to motivate pupils and encourage friendly competition. This can be a great way to showcase student skills and creativity. Give your class time to play and experiment with Spheros outside of structured lessons. This free exploration can lead to innovative ideas and deeper understanding. Laura Di Pasquale is a primary school teacher in Glasgow. She is an Apple learning coach and micro:bit champion. ROBOTS IN CLASS robots into your lessons can make abstract concepts concrete and learning incredibly fun. WARNING: teachers become rather competitive with Sphero BOLT robots, and will enjoy playing the toilet-flushing sound effects, racing one another and crashing them together. It’s best to do your training in a private room, away from the prying eyes of little children. Your future with coding robots The journey of integrating Spheros into the curriculum is like embarking on a rollercoaster ride, so buckle up and get ready for some exhilarating classroom adventures. Embrace the challenge with open arms and encourage your pupils to do the robot dance of excitement. By fostering a love for coding and physical computing, you’re not just preparing pupils for future careers; you’re arming them with the superpowers to think critically, solve problems faster than a speeding algorithm, and create solutions that could save the day – or at least make lunch breaks run more smoothly.