Practice Description

After school robotics and programming clubs

by [organizer anonymized for research purposes] added on 04 Jun 2021

Brief description:
After school clubs offering guided and structured education on Programming and robotics to children aged 8-12 throughout Finland. The programming and robotics clubs are arranged in collaboration with local schools. The programming club aims to teach children the logic, structure and commands of programming. The programming language and platform are selected based on the age of the children and the requirements of the equipment in the school. In the robotics club, different mechanical structures are constructed and applied to the construction of various machines and equipment. Robot clubs are implemented with Lego Education series legos or Lego Mindstorms series legos.
Photos:
Countries:
(where the practice takes place)
Finland
Cities:
(where the practice takes place)
multiple locations throughout the country
Organization name:
(running the practice)
[organizer anonymized for research purposes]
Organization type:
Commercial
Contact person:
Organizer has been anonymized for research purposes
Contact email:
(for further information and inquiries)
netta.iivari@oulu.fi
Social media:
Related resources:
(e.g., web site, publications,media)
Participants’ age groups:
4 - 14; 7 - 16
Indicative number of participants:
4 - 10
Oriented to a specific gender?
No
Frequency:
(for the same group of participants)
Once a week
Total duration:
(for the same group of participants)
1 hours
Location:
(where the practice takes place)
  • Classroom, formal learning space, etc.
  • Community lab, FabLab, non-formal learning space, etc.
What are the role(s) of the adult(s) running the practice?
  • Teacher
  • Facilitator
  • Mentor / Guide
During the practice, participants…
  • Make
  • Play
  • Code
Participants work…
  • Alone
  • In pairs
  • In groups of...: children
    • What type of materials do participants use?
    • Computers
    • Mobile phones
    • Tablets
    • Robotics
    • Digital games
    • Boards / circuits
    • Other: Lego Mindstorms, Lego Education
    Pedagogical approach:
    • Problem-based learning
    • Design-based learning
    • Creative thinking
    Social justice/equity approaches:
    Does the practice have (explicit or implicit) learning objectives?
    		Explicit: Explicit learning tasks in each session related to coding and robotics
    Is the practice (explicitly or implicitly) connected to school curricula?
    		No
    If connected in any way to school curricula, which subjects are covered?
    Does the practice aim to have an impact on the engagement / interest of participants with a particular scientific topic, concept, phenomena, theory or career?
    		Yes: The aim of the after school club is to spark interest in science and technology, and to be involved in training future programmers, engineers and researchers
    Does the practice aim to have an impact on the attitude of participants with a particular scientific topic, concept, phenomena, theory, or career?
    		No
    Does the practice aim to have an impact on the behavior of participants related to a particular scientific topic, concept, phenomena, theory, or career?
    		No
    Does the practice aim to have an impact on the development / reinforcement / practice of skills of participants?
    		Yes: Programming and robotics
    Additional notes: