In this chapter, the authors describe an inquiry-based science education (IBSE) theoretical framework as it was applied to robotics activities carried out in European K-12 classrooms during the last six years. Interactions between IBSE, problem-based learning, constructivist/constructionist learning theories, and technology are discussed. Example activities demonstrate that educational robotics capitalizes on the digital curiosity of young people. This leads to concrete experiences in STEM content areas and spreads computational thinking to all school types and levels. Cooperation among different stakeholders (students, teachers, scientific and disseminating institutions, families) is emphasized in order to exploit in and out of the classroom school resources, competencies, and achievements and for implementing peer-to-peer education among students and teachers in the same class/school or from different schools.

Small robots are very simple computers that can move autonomously. Their use in primary schools allows pupils to have concrete yet full programming experiences at the age in which Piaget situates the concrete operational stage of cognitive development. Indeed, for their first robotic activities, pupils think of paths where the robot moves forward, decides which direction to go when getting to a crossroad or repeats part of its previous trip. In planning a path for their robot, children walk it themselves thus finding out its successive tangible parts and related features. Our pupils use NQCBaby and NXCJunior programming languages for the formal specification of their robot's behaviour. These are textual languages, mothertongue-based and Logo-like, in order to be oriented to children rather than to robots. Thus, when programming small robots, children are introduced to a deep computer competence because they deal with the basic blocks of algorithmics (sequence, selection and iteration) and learn how to specify them.

In this chapter we describe an inquiry based science education (IBSE) theoretical framework applied to robotics activities carried out in European K-12 classrooms during last six years. Interactions between IBSE, problem-based learning, constructivist/constructionist learning theories and technology are discussed. Example activities will show that educational robotics may capitalize on the digital curiosity of young people leading to concrete experiences in STEM content areas and spreading computational thinking in all school types and levels. Cooperation among different stakeholders (students, teachers, scientific and disseminating institutions, families) is emphasized in order to exploit in and out of the school resources, competences and achievements and for implementing a peer-to-peer education among students and teachers inside the same class/school or from different schools.

How to use computers in primary schools is often discussed among those i nvolved in education. In our project we introduce robot programming in order to give both children and teachers the opportunity of concretely approaching the basics of informatics as a science while performing activities concerning the standard curricula subjects. Fundamental components of our proposal are: a) the use of different types of small autonomous robots as computer systems children develop programs for, b) programming with a textual, Logolike language in order to avoid problems due to the language in use during first programming activities, c) a cross-disciplinary didactical methodology where each robot activity is a learning environment nurturing as its principal concern concepts from traditional primary school subjects, such as mathematics, physics, geography, music. Also grammar and linguistic abilities are concerned because the programming language introduction is harmonized with pupils learning of their native language writing. The choice of rather using a textual language is also for having the same representation for programming the robot and for the written natural language; d) a community of practice teachers can count on, so that they do not hesitate experimenting, after an introduction to robots, because they are guaranteed of pedagogical and quick technical helps. During the current 2007/2008 school year the project involved five primary schools, three kindergarten and four secondary, first level, schools for about 50 classes using various robots. Here different aspects of the experience are sketched.

No abstract