Grade 6 pupils challenged in robotics pilot project

Fourth Quarter 2008 News & events

Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) has been working with the Tshwane District of the Gauteng Department of Education (GED) to pilot a project with grade sixes at a group of middle schools in the district.

The aim of the project is to generate learners’ interest in mathematics and science through the use of educational robotics. The starting point is to identify those learners who have an aptitude for reading simple assembly drawings. The building blocks are LEGO. And educators who become involved in the project at school level become project agents.

On a recent Saturday morning I had the pleasure of visiting TUT to witness this changing face of technology in our schools in the form of the TUT Pilot Project for Technology Building Competition.

Five weeks prior to this day 16 schools had been given LEGO didactic kits and assembly drawings for 14 models, and on the Saturday they were to compete in teams to assemble all the models in a two-hour challenge. Each team comprised two educators as supervisors (but not involved in team coordination or model assembly) and a maximum of 12 learners.

Before the event I spoke to Pieter Pretorius who heads up this initiative at TUT. I asked him whether he thought the teams would accomplish the task in the time provided. “If they have practised, they should manage it, but we will have to see,” was his reply.

At ten seconds to ten Pretorius began the count down, and at exactly ten o’clock they were off!

It quickly became apparent which teams had been practising. And just 23 minutes after the start the first team had completed the construction of all 14 models – much to the surprise and delight of Pretorius.

Speaking to the teachers I was hearing comments like “The youngsters are keen.” and “We practised all last Saturday and Sunday”.

Mr Matjokane, a special education specialist with Tshwane District GED says, ”We would like to see this initiative extended to all schools in the district after the completion of this pilot scheme. The results are very encouraging. The learners are voluntarily staying after school to do extra tech classes in their own time.”

For more information contact Pieter Pretorius, FIRST LEGO League, +27 (0)82 479 2714, [email protected], www.fllsa.org.za

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