Stemie & Stemia’s fantastic journey through space: teacher‘s ebook

Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook Edited by Rolando Barradas University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Portugal José Alberto Lencastre University of Minho, Portugal Lorenzo Rispoli Istituto Comprensivo Baragiano (PZ), Italy Gerarda Faruolo Istituto Comprensivo Baragiano (PZ), Italy Isabella Santangelo Istituto Comprensivo Baragiano (PZ), Italy Lucia Pirrone Istituto Comprensivo Baragiano (PZ), Italy Rosangela Pomponio Istituto Comprensivo Baragiano (PZ), Italy Published by Research Centre on Education, Instituto of Education, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal. Layout production by Kristina Jačunskienė, Lithuania and Rolando Barradas, Portugal © The Contractor and Partners of the Robots for STEM Strategic Partnership acting within the Erasmus Plus Programme. First Published in 2023 ISBN: 978-989-8525-80-2 This Teacher‘s eBook is an Intellectual Output developed by the Erasmus+ project “Robots for STEM ”, coordinated by Colégio Paulo VI, Portugal and had as Leading Organization, Istituto Comprensivo Baragiano, Italy, and Participating Organisations August Senoa Primary School, Croatia, Joniskis Matas Slanciauskas Progymnasium, Lithuania, Çetin Şen Bilim Ve Sanat Merkezi, Turkie, Make-It Pedagogical, Lda, Portugal, and Searchlighter Services Ltd., United Kingdom. Created with the contributions of: Emilija Tamošaitytė, Voice-over of Stemia; Jokūbas Šilinas, Voice-over of Stemie; Maria Coelho (@bluevolcano.studio), Cover and main characters design. PROJECT COORDINATOR OUTPUT LEADING ORGANIZATION PARTICIPANT ORGANIZATIONS The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Conventional signs Throughout this book, especially in the Lesson plans chapter, you will find some conventional signs and symbols that represent various features or subjects. Whenever you find one or several of the following signs: science technologies engineering maths you know that a specific exercise is related to that specific subject. NOTES on each chapter will be marked with this frame. If there is additional INFO, you will see it inside this frame. The GOAL of each challenge will be written in this format. Whenever you have a part of the STORY to read, it will be signalled with this frame. Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 7 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. There is something to DISCUSS with your class. This will be the sign. A student finished first than the others… Some EXTRA TASKS are waiting. Also, while reading code written in mBlock, there are some basics that you need to remember your students: Hat blocks are used to start scripts and are always placed on the top of other blocks. A Stack block is a rectangular block with slots on the top and bottom that allow to fit above or below other blocks. 8 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. A Cap block is used to a script or project and therefore it can be put only under all blocks. Don’t forget that in your project you should have only one forever block. Notice that there are no slots in the bottom of the block. Connectors, constants, startup sound Procedures. These blocks must ALWAYS be the first in your code. A reporter block allows you to store data and contains a value that can be a numerical value or character string. Blocks that Turn on motors. In this example, Forward (motor 1, right side) and backwards (motor 2, left side). A boolean block contains a condition that can be either "true" or "false" and is typically used inside condition blocks like IF. Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 9 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Other things that are useful for you and your students to know: The robots don’t have any loose wires. If you find one, it should be disconnected from somewhere; The colour of the wires doesn’t matter. Just the type and length so that they connect to where they are supposed to; Vcc is always connected to the positive (+) pole of current while GND is connected to the negative (-) pole. Stop both motors. Time that a certain action takes. For example, the time that the motors are turned on or off. 16 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 4. Digital competence 5. Learning to learn 6. Social and civic competencies 7. Initiative and entrepreneurship 8. Cultural awareness and expression 1 From the European Key Competencies, the European Qualifications Framework was also developed, which already contained the following definitions: - Knowledge: they indicate the result of the assimilation of information through learning. Knowledge is the set of facts, principles, theories and practices relating to a field of study or work; knowledge is described as theoretical and/or practical; - Skills: indicate the ability to apply knowledge and use know-how to accomplish tasks and solve problems; skills are described as cognitive (use of logical, intuitive and creative thinking) and practical (involving manual skill and the use of methods, materials, tools); - Competencies: means the proven ability to use personal, social and/or methodological knowledge, skills and abilities in work or study situations and professional and/or personal development; competencies are described in terms of responsibility and autonomy." 2 1 Proposal for a Recommendation of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 September 2006 - Official Journal of the European Union - L.394/10 - 30.12.2006 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32018H0604%2801%29 2 The European Qualifications Framework (https://europa.eu/europass/en/european-qualificationsframework-eqf) Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 17 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. It is important to mention that in the European reference framework, the role of "computational thinking" is also recognized: that is another aspect of learning required of students in all areas of knowledge. The first to use the term "computational thinking" was Seymour Papert in a text from 1996. This term has also evolved over the years, but we will deal with it in the following pages. „As social, cultural and economic scenarios change, as a result of systematic international surveys of student learning outcomes at the end of their education system, the Council of the European Union reviewed the European key competencies of 2006, elaborating the DigComp "that defines and outlines the digital competencies that allow the European citizen to fully exercise digital citizenship" and to adapt to global change“. 3 In 2018, the Council of the European Parliament issues a new Recommendation adopting a new European Reference framework which not only reaffirms the 8 key competencies but also proposes to promote those in the scientific fields with an emphasis on digital and entrepreneurial competencies. 3 Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 18 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. The scenario, therefore, changes with clarifications and changes, in the following way: KEY COMPETENCIES 2006 KEY COMPETENCIES 2018 1 Communication in the mother tongue Functional alphabetical competence 2 Communication in foreign languages Multilingualism 3 Mathematical competence and basic skills in science and technology Mathematical competence and competence in science, technology and engineering 4 Digital competence Digital competence 5 Learn to learn Personal, social and learning to learn skills 6 Social and civic competencies Powers in the field of citizenship 7 Spirit of initiative and entrepreneurship Entrepreneurial competence 8 Cultural awareness and expression Competence in cultural awareness and expression Given the purpose of our eBook, special attention should be given to Digital Competencies. Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 19 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. The official text cites: "Digital competence presupposes an interest in digital technologies and their use with familiarity and a critical and responsible spirit to learn, work and participate in society. It includes computer and digital literacy, communication and collaboration, media literacy, digital content creation (including programming), security (including being comfortable in the digital world and possessing cybersecurity skills), intellectual property issues, problem-solving and critical thinking.” Knowledge, skills and essential attitudes related to digital competencies People should understand how digital technologies can help communication, creativity and innovation while being aware of the opportunities, limitations, effects and risks involved. They should understand the general principles, mechanisms and logic underpinning evolving digital technologies, as well as know the basic operation and use of different devices, software and networks. People should take a critical approach to validity, the reliability and impact of the information and data made available by digital tools and be aware of the ethical and legal principles involved with the use of digital technologies". 4 People should be able to use digital technologies as an aid to active citizenship and social inclusion, collaboration with others and creativity in achieving personal, social or commercial goals. Skills include the 4 4.6.2018 IT Official Journal of the European Union C 189/9 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/oj/directaccess.html?locale=en 20 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. ability to use, access, filter, evaluate, create, program, and share digital content. People should be able to manage and protect information, content, data and digital identities, as well as recognize software, devices, artificial intelligence or robots and interact effectively with them. Interacting with digital technologies and content presupposes a reflective and critical attitude, but also based on curiosity, open and interest in the future of their evolution. It also imposes an ethical, safe and responsible approach to the use of such tools". 5 “DigComp 2.1 is the evolution of the DigCom 2.0 framework for citizens' digital skills. Starting from the reference conceptual model published with DigComp 2.0, the next version 2.1 illustrates eight levels of mastery and examples of use applied to the field of education and work". 6 Another framework is "DigCompEdu", addressed to teachers…" which aims to define the digital skills necessary for teaching, then the digital skills that teachers should have". DigCompEdu (Digital Competence Framework for Educators) is the framework developed by the European Commission that defines in six areas the digital skills that a teacher, but also more generally who works in education and education, should possess, articulating them in 22 sub-skills. The framework aims to guide the teacher to the acquisition of the necessary digital skills, which appear among the eight key competencies for lifelong learning, as identified and defined in the Recommendation of the European 5 Key competencies Recommendation 2018 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32018H0604%2801%29 6 Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 21 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Parliament and the Council in 2006 and subsequently updated in 2018. For the same reason, the framework also represents a path to follow for the proposal of ad hoc training courses for teachers. By answering the questions of a self-assessment questionnaire of the competencies related to the six areas of the DigCompEdu, the teacher assigns a level of competence between A1 (novice) and C2 (pioneer); there are six levels of competence and they are called by letters and numbers, exactly corresponding to those already used in the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages" 7 The latest evolution of the previous reference documents is that of the DigComp 2.2 competence framework "which identifies the key components of digital competence in 5 areas that can be summarized as follows: Information and data literacy: to articulate information needs, to identify and retrieve data, information and digital content. Judge the relevance of the source and its content. To store, manage and organize data, information and digital content; Communication and collaboration: interact, communicate and collaborate through digital technologies while being aware of cultural and generational diversity. Participate in society through public and private digital services and participatory citizenship. To manage your digital identity and reputation; Digital content creation: Create and edit digital content to enhance and integrate information and content into an existing body of knowledge, 7 Pierfranco Ravotto - Educazione alla cittadinanza digitale, all’uso della rete e dei social network 22 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. while understanding how to apply copyright and licensing. Knowing how to give understandable instructions for a computer system; Security: To protect devices, content, personal data, and privacy in digital environments. To protect physical and psychological health and to be aware of digital technologies for social welfare and social inclusion. Be aware of the environmental impact of digital technologies and their use; Problem-Solving: Identify needs and problems and solve conceptual problems and problem situations in digital environments. Use digital tools to innovate processes and products. Stay up to date on digital evolution. The 8 levels of competence and examples are described in DigComp 2.1: "The digital competence framework for citizens with eight levels of competence and use examples". 8 Between the publication of DigComp 2.1 and DigComp 2.2 (published on 22 March 2022 by the Joint Research Center) the European Union proposes a policy initiative called the Digital Education Action Plan (2021-2027) to support the education and training systems of its Member States in the Digital Age. "The action plan for digital education: ● provides a long-term strategic vision for high-quality, inclusive and accessible European digital education 8 Official Website of the European Commission https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC106281 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 23 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. ● addresses the challenges and opportunities caused by COVID-19 which led to an unprecedented use of technology for education and training ● aims to strengthen cooperation at the EU level on digital education and stresses the importance of working together in all areas to integrate education in the digital age ● presents opportunities, including better quality and more teaching in digital technologies, support for the digitisation of teaching methods and pedagogies and the provision of the necessary infrastructure for inclusive and resilient distance learning. To achieve these objectives, the action plan defines two priority areas: 1. promote the development of a highly efficient digital education ecosystem This sector comprises the following aspects: • infrastructure, connectivity and digital equipment; • effective planning and development of digital skills, including up-to-date organisational skills; • teachers and staff involved in education and training who are familiar with and competent in digital technologies; • high-quality learning content, easy-to-use tools and secure platforms that comply with e-privacy rules and ethical standards. 2. Improving digital skills and abilities for digital transformation This requires: • basic digital skills and competencies from childhood; • digital literacy, including the fight against disinformation; 24 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. • computer science teaching; • good knowledge and understanding of data-intensive technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI); • advanced digital skills, to have more digital specialists; • ensure that girls and young women are equally represented in digital studies and careers. 9 In the long term, the strategic vision of the Action Plan provides high-quality, inclusive and accessible digital education for European countries. It also refers to the pandemic situation in Europe and other countries around the world, which has highlighted the need for a digital education and training system. In short, the European Action Plan for Digital Education poses future challenges that recall the skills required of the new generations, who will have to learn to make the most of the opportunities and deal with the issues of a globalised, rapidly changing and interconnected world. Of course, to do this, it is not only important to understand the role and weight of "digital competence" in schools of all levels, starting with kindergarten, but also STEM in general, together with "two perspectives“: ● the investigation of sciences that involves the formulation of a question that can be answered through research; ● the technological or engineering design that involves the formulation of a problem, which can be solved with the construction/manipulation, and the evaluation after the design realization, then the redefinition. 9 Official Website of the European Commission https://education.ec.europa.eu/focus-topics/digital-education/about/digital-education-action-plan Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 25 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. One of the stated aims of this education perspective is to increase the culture of citizens in these areas that are considered fundamental for the 21st century" 10 This makes STEM have a global influence not only from a cultural but also from an economic point of view. It is no coincidence that in all education systems, there is a push for the realization of school curricula based on science and technology disciplines. It is important to mention that, in addition to STEM, STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) pathways are also being strongly introduced in schools in recent years, reinforcing the integration of science subjects with humanities and arts disciplines that can contribute to the development of European economies, as shown by the recent Opinion of the European Committee of the Regions, June 2019. 11 STEM also becomes a "tool of citizenship" when it is possible to enhance the contribution offered by scientific subjects for the future citizen of the world, the one who will be able to read and understand the functioning of the society in which he lives. Acquiring fundamental skills in the present time, through the development of logical and computational thinking, will be able to solve more or less complex problems with a critical and creative eye. In this scenario, another world, that is robotics, which we will deal with in the following paragraphs, enters powerfully into society and education in general. 10 Bybee 2013 11 Official Journal of the European Union – C79/54 del 10.03.2020 https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=OJ%3AC%3A2020%3A079%3ATOC 32 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 1) Information and data literacy 2) Collaboration and communication 3) Creation of digital content 4) Safety 5) Solving Problems The activities proposed are led by experts and designed to strengthen and increase the digital skills learned at school or home by addressing them with gradual levels of difficulty. There are also resources designed for parents and guardians, facilitating the generational gap, and for teachers, to address the theme of digital citizenship with the program "Enter the digital world". 13 c) Google Learning Environment In Google Learning Environment you can acquire practical digital skills necessary for the jobs of today and tomorrow thanks to several free video lessons. The platform, free and flexible, promotes the development of skills for school, work and life by teaching the 4 C: communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking. The resources are aimed at: primary, and secondary school teachers, instructors, educators, librarians students using digital skills with their teachers 13 https://www.facebook.com/fbgetdigital Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 33 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. persons seeking employment or wanting to train themselves parents and guardians using digital skills outside the classroom 14 d) Code.org learning environment Code.org is a digital platform that offers resources for students, parents and teachers, including videos, fun tutorials and projects for all age groups. Very intuitive, and has 4 areas: ● a community for teachers where teachers can ask questions about the curriculum, share ideas for lessons and get help from other teachers ● an area of professional learning to improve your curriculum through lesson plans, tools and resources with tips to improve teaching practices that are always available for free for teachers and students ● a CS Adventures area - Computer Science - that invites and helps students to create connections with the real world, with what they are learning, allowing them to continue their adventures with these resources ● an area "Lesson Plans and Resources" - “Information about curriculum standards alignment for Code.org courses “ According to Barradas, Lencastre, Soares & Valente 15 (2021), Code.org is a handy tool to use in introductory coding classes. The fact that 14 https://applieddigitalskills.withgoogle.com/s/en-uk/home?fbclid=IwAR1BkwhqG3k5SaDW3XzrcgzUyNDnEeSwarI-RlgHaUWW5MY0jP2Q6s-8K0 15 Barradas, R., Lencastre, J.A., Soares, S., & Valente, A. (2021). The Code.org Platform in the Developing of Computational Thinking with Elementary School Students. In: H.Chad Lane et al. (eds), Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1473 (pp. 118-145). Springer, Cham. The original publication is available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-86439-2_7 34 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. students have to solve different types of unfamiliar problems in creative and innovative ways makes them ask meaningful questions that clarify various points of view and lead to better solutions. The use of gamification strategies like narratives, trophies, and instant feedback, works as an engagement factor for students. Also, the fact that some exercises have clues that help children understand them, the possibility of partially solving the exercises and being able to return to complete them at a later time, makes code.org a very flexible and appropriate tool for developing computational thinking in early ages. Of course, there are many other digital platforms that we could mention, but in this eBook, we simply limit to making a selection by reporting only those that the research group considers most significant and consistent with the purpose we set ourselves. Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 35 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 3. Computational thinking, coding and educational robotics Concerning the theories of Constructionism and Constructivism and their main exponents Jean Piaget and George Kelly, according to which knowledge should not be transmitted but constructed through direct experience, we refer back to the very brief mention made in the previous chapter to elaborate on the concept of 'computational thinking' first introduced by Seymour Papert in a 1996 text, which has evolved over the years. We are going to examine this area of didactics while also trying to clarify the difference between 'computational thinking' and 'coding', as the educational community often tends to confuse the two terms. Computational Thinking In 2006, the American researcher Jeannett Wing stated that computational thinking is an indispensable skill that must be taught to all individuals along with those of reading, writing and calculating, which are the three basic skills, itself becoming the fourth basic skill. It would therefore be important to initiate all students into computational thinking from an early age. This means initiating students into logical-creative thinking through which they deploy a cognitive process that allows them to solve progressively more complex problems through a procedure of breaking down the problem into simpler parts that, when tackled and solved one at a time, allow the initial 36 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. problem to be solved thanks to a strategy devised and reasoned out by the student himself. Intended as such, computational thinking is not to be regarded as a simple programming procedure, as 'coding' can be, but as a real basic conceptual skill, a real cognitive process that becomes metacognitive when the pupil stops to reflect on possible errors due to wrong choices or unforeseen events and returns to redefine the procedural steps to improve the result. With this meaning, computational thinking becomes 'logical' and the main element of computer science. Logical computational thinking, however, is not only related to this area but becomes part of a new construct within digital competence, a broader and more transversal concept, useful for ProblemSolving not only in the field of computer programming but in everyday life and that is why it is important to promote it within the school. It becomes, in fact, a cultural tool for citizenship because it is linked to every area of knowledge and appropriate for the development of other key competencies such as learning to learn, planning skills and Problem-Solving. Computational thinking thus becomes 'for everyone', in every place, in every circumstance: it can be applied to any situation, not only computer-related. Logical computational thinking is a construct that can be experienced as early as kindergarten through activities that do not necessarily require the use of computers, but that are 'analogue educational paths' based on the basic concepts of programming and computer science that involve the body and motor skills, that use the visual rather than the written code and that have a motivating and engaging playful background. Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 37 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. In this case, we are talking about various unplugged activities that support young learners in educational paths that initiate them into logical computational thinking and deal with 'hidden' and gradually more complex computer concepts such as algorithms, binary numbers, pixels, etc., an important innovation in teaching, content and method. Through such paths, the teacher induces students to reason, to understand and to analyse a problem and, with a playful-motor approach, to stimulate them to what will later become a 'flowchart', a typical concept in computer programming. Through cyclic repetition, the child will be accustomed to recognising and correcting errors (bugs) and will be able to redefine and organize programming structures (debugging). To better understand the above, the 'Learning Goals and Computational Thinking Processes', declined into 'Competence Targets', 'Skills' and 'Knowledge', are given below. 16 COMPETENCIES TARGETS Breaking down a problem or process into several elementary parts Analyzing, representing and solving problem situations Constructing algorithms, sequences, of instructions to solve problems Recognising errors in an algorithm and identifying appropriate solutions 16 Table taken from 'Officina del Coding' - Pathways to Computational Thinking and Coding - P.Mello - M.Pagliaro - A.Russo - K.Buccelli - Ed.Raffaello Scuola 38 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. SKILLS Understanding a problem situation adequately Knowing how to subdivide a complex problem into a set of sub-problems whose resolution contributes to solving the given problem Understanding and being able to reproduce the structure of the algorithm and its function in the representation of an operational sequence Knowing how to make changes to your project to overcome errors Creatively transforming error by paving the way for new design paths Strengthening one's ability to communicate KNOWLEDGE Acquiring the logic of programming languages Stimulating creativity Developing mathematical logical thinking Finding solutions to problems After this brief discussion of activities aimed at young children and what can be done to initiate them into logical computational thinking, it is only right to return to its connection with computer science. Computational thinking makes it possible to exploit the potential of machines as fast and accurate tools if they are well programmed. The individual interacts with 'objects' through mathematical and rigorous language, activating logical thinking. Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 39 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Precisely because it has been recognised over the years as a 'cultural tool for citizenship', computational thinking has been included by the European Commission in the Digital Education Action Plan, as a competence that needs to be developed in education in an interdisciplinary way because it encompasses the logical aspects and the more subtle structure of all the disciplinary activities that take place at school. "It does not need technology because it comes before technology: it is a transversal skill, a Problem-Solving process useful in any context". 17 It follows that: - Programming is a powerful thinking tool - Learning to programme can be a powerful tool for personal expression - Programming can be a tool for personal growth - Programming can become a possible career. Coding Computational thinking finds a wide range of areas of development in coding and thus in writing languages for a machine. The machine will only perform a task through a series of instructions and to do so, the language used must be specific and rigorous. In this way, programming makes the concepts of computational thinking concrete and becomes a learning tool. 17 https://it.pearson.com/docenti/primaria/classe-dinamica/che-cosa-pensiero-computazionale.html 40 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Coding, in simpler terms, means feeding our commands to the computer in a language the computer understands, so that the computer can carry out the said command, and perform the task. Coding is now firmly established in the common vocabulary, particularly in pedagogical circles, where it represents a teaching methodology based on Problem-Solving, the primary objective of which is to develop logic, creativity and imagination in children. CODING, therefore, represents the 'way', the 'tool' to enhance the skill of computational thinking. According to the pedagogical-educational theory developed by Papert, Constructivism is the natural result of an experience of ideational creation, direct observation, experimentation, verification of the results of their actions and sharing. All this promotes a highly motivating environment that allows for an exponential 'evolution' of students' learning possibilities. The students, experimenting and planning, do not always manage to complete their work correctly on the first attempt. They must correct the 'bugs', the possible errors that are made and that, only if researched and eliminated, can allow the programme to function. It is also because of this process that the student puts into action that coding is considered, by Papert and his supporters, an approach with great educational potential: it is not the computer that is at the centre but the student's mind. In this way, the computer becomes only a 'mediator' while the main role is assigned to the student and his or her decision-making and choice-making ability. By now, many European countries have realized the importance of introducing coding into education, and legislation has moved to ensure that Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 41 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. this methodology is compulsorily applied across the board in teaching activities. Coding, therefore, does not mean knowing how to use a PC or becoming a computer scientist. Coding means conceiving, designing, creating, and finding solutions, in short, it means developing a set of skills that will come in handy throughout life, in all sectors and areas, not only in the technological-scientific one. We borrow the words of the 'father' of Scratch, Mitchel Resnick, to better understand the value of coding. In an interview with a well-known newspaper some time ago Resnick says: "What we learn today, including programming languages, will be obsolete tomorrow. To live in the future, without falling victim to it, we need to be able to think creatively: one of the few skills that enable us to tackle and solve new problems that have never arisen before'. 18 Educational robotics Coding does not only apply to making a programme for a smartphone or a computer, but also to circuit boards and robots. This is how educational robotics came onto the scene several years ago. The approach does not change: the robot has a 'brain' that is nothing more than a computer that has to be programmed. This can be done in two ways, with textual or visual language, but the concepts and practices exercised are always related to computational thinking, albeit with added value: the 18 La Repubblica - interview with Mitchel Resnick - 30 Jan 2019 https://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2019/01/30/scratch-e-nato-come-ungioco42.html 48 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. The right and most engaging path could be to take the first steps together with students, in a path of discovery, investigation, and research, starting from the assembly of a robot and then arriving at its physical realization and programming through specific languages. You could continue by having the robot do missions to solve a given problem, to stimulate students to make individual or small group decisions, encouraging cooperation and collaboration and including all the ideas, all the proposals to try, wrong, try again, redefine, test and, finally, solve. In this way, the mistake is seen as an opportunity to learn, an invitation to try again, overcoming the fear of making mistakes. The teacher proposes models, demonstration examples, and stimulating questions and the students, even the most reluctant ones, try the paths and activate strategies to achieve the goal. The teacher, attentive observer and guide, sends continuous feedback; the latter can also come from companions or, even, from the robot itself, from its behaviours: does it work or not? During the tests the teacher invites students to repeat the paths already activated, to recheck the commands sent through the written code and to reflect. This metacognitive activity on what has been put in place, on what could have been wrong or on what has been successful, (accompanied by an oral explanation by the student), helps everyone to better reflect on the strategies adopted and what is still possible to do, improves their performance and promotes a greater sense of self-efficacy and involvement in what is being implemented. Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 49 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. In light of the above, the OBJECTIVES of this handbook are listed below: ● integrate STEM teaching into the classroom and in curricular teaching plans; ● conduct practical exercises in classes, integrating STEM methodologies and techniques; ● reorganize the classroom, in terms of the number of students, resources, time, and spaces, working on the direct, experiential learning; ● promote students' motivation to take personal and creative paths in robotics; ● foster girls' involvement in STEM and better manage gender perspectives in current teaching practice; ● use, through the INSTRUCTIONS provided, the programming languages m-Block and ARDUINO, the software SKETCHUP and apply them also in SCENARIOS different from those proposed. Each ACTIVITY PLAN includes the following activities: ● reading the theoretical and narrative parts of the recommended methodologies; ● reflection, with the help of explanatory videos and/or images; ● a digital toolkit for teachers containing a list of activities to address to students. 50 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. The Working and Research Group hopes for a positive IMPACT of this methodological-didactic proposal: a) on the TEACHERS who will receive it: thanks to their professionalism and competence, teachers will have to take action so that effective actions can be implemented with results and positive effects on the learning and development of specific and transversal skills of their students. The application of these proposals in the operational field requires both an increase in knowledge in the field of robotics and STEM in general, and a change of minds, a rethinking of their way of working in the field of teaching and methodology with their students, also creating scenarios and innovative learning environments. The EXPECTED RESULTS that specifically concern the didacticeducational action of the teachers will be in summary: ● spontaneously encouraging coding and computational logic thinking; ● encouraging teamwork, making shared decisions and working together to achieve a shared goal; ● promoting the inclusion of all students through challenging tasks that, entrusted to boys and girls, enhance self-esteem, and improve relationships and social skills; ● stimulating the ability to schematize, describe "problems", and use synthetic and shared codes; ● promoting an active attitude based on observation and discovery and oriented towards reflection, awareness and self-assessment of their learning processes; Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 51 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. ● fostering innovative evaluation practices that promote the development of specific knowledge, skills and competencies in addition to the integral development of the person. b) on the STUDENTS who will have this opportunity: at the individual level and as a class group, the activity will stimulate the development of computational thinking to strengthen the ability to analyze and solve problems in learning any discipline. Students will thus develop skills related to computer science (but applicable to any field of knowledge) promoting the growth of scientific-technological culture through the basic programming in blocks of a robot. The EXPECTED RESULTS that specifically concern students will be in summary: ● developing logical-mathematical, technological-scientific skills, and computational thinking; ● increasing self-esteem by defusing error, reconsidered simply as one of the moments of learning; ● working individually and in groups by promoting peer-to-peer dialogue; ● making a personal contribution by organising and using the information to carry out the tasks assigned, acting independently and responsibly, respecting the rules and the point of view of others; ● increasing one’s decision-making skills and sense of responsibility by understanding that everyone is different and can be an important resource. 52 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. c) on the EDUCATIONAL COMMUNITY involved: The teaching approach that this handbook offers is no longer that of traditional teaching, but a more innovative and experiential proposal. STEM disciplines and concepts are increasingly applicable to the context and our daily lives. Students are invited to discover, experiment and experience firsthand. All this requires educational policies and good practices in their school context, reconnaissance of equipment, tools, and STEM laboratories but also innovative learning scenarios. Each school institution is required to define with a certain autonomy both the teaching programmes and its management organization. In recent years, STEM initiatives in Europe have also multiplied to raise awareness among young people and, in particular girls, to the study of scientific disciplines to make them involved in the construction of scientific knowledge technology, beyond gender differences, thus promoting equal opportunities in the world of work. However, the use of robotics and all the activities to which a brief reference has been made are still limited to the will of individual teachers or carried out as part of extracurricular projects or ad hoc events and are not widely spread in all educational institutions. Through good dissemination practices, teachers and students directly involved in the experimentation will be able to positively influence teachers and students of other classes to involve the entire school community. In this regard, the EXPECTED RESULTS that specifically concern the educational communities that will decide to activate similar paths will be: ● increased attention to digital transformation and new European regulatory guidelines: "educational robotics and electronics, logic and Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 53 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. computational thinking, handbook and digital artefacts, serious play and storytelling"; ● development of three different areas of robotics: robotics as a learning object, robotics as a learning tool and robotics as learning support; ● promotion of a laboratory approach involving the construction and programming of small robots for educational purposes, often in collaborative problem-solving situations; ● encouragement to the real protagonism of students through their learning process, through the creation and manipulation of tangible artefacts; ● development of highly inclusive educational processes by promoting "feeling part of..."; ● decrease in the level of early school leaving: reduction in the percentage of students leaving school and increase in the percentage of those admitted to the next class through the stimuli and involvement of the actors involved; ● increase in the percentage of students entering the labour market with specific technological and computer skills; ● promotion of Digital Citizenship by encouraging the exercise of active and conscious citizenship, including digital citizenship; ● increasing opportunities for socialisation by improving social skills outside the school context; ● possibility for teachers to become "relational educators", that can activate paths aimed at bringing out and/or developing the potential 54 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. of the individual through collaboration, the ability to listen to others, empathy, a relationship of help, etc. In conclusion, this proposal aims to have a significant IMPACT: ● on how students are learning, changing as well as their interests; ● on the communicative modalities that, besides being a social task, considered the relational value of the proposed activities, are also a cognitive task related to understanding, learning, reading, writing, completing the assigned work and helping the companions to do the same; ● on collaborative modalities, a fundamental prerequisite for future citizens of the world to enter the field of work. Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 55 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 5. Innovative methodologies for STEM learning Innovative teaching proposals require innovative methodologies and that‘s why in this part of the handbook for teachers, we will describe some of the best innovative methodologies for STEM learning. One often wonders how to arouse students' interest in scientific disciplines: which methodologies to use? Which techniques, scenarios and tools? How, then, do we 'encourage' learning? Certainly, the learning environments, already discussed in the previous chapters, play their part. If they are stimulating and innovative, they certainly encourage students and prompt them to new knowledge. It is equally true, however, that the methodologies applied in education, especially in science, play a fundamental role. It is for this reason that we have chosen not to speak in this handbook about teaching methodologies in general but to go into the specifics, to try to present, among the innumerable applications in the school field, those that seemed most suitable and appropriate to the context being presented. We will therefore deal with a few methodological approaches, but significant and functional for the purpose, namely: ● Gamification ● Game-based learning ● Robotics education ● Project-based learning ● Digital storytelling 56 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. ● Flipped classroom flipped learning ● Explore first ● Co-creation ● Problem-Solving ● Cooperative learning ● Learning by doing Gamification Recently, to improve the forms of learning, a technique used in marketing is making its way into the field of education: gamification. The term (in Italian gamification) was first used by Pelling in 2002, but it was not until 2010 that the term gained popularity thanks to Jesse Schell, an American video game creator. Already Plato said: 'Educate children with play, thus you will better discover the natural inclination', and this is what gamification pursues in education. Gamification at school falls under the concept of smart education and can therefore be linked to educational robotics and coding. Exactly like educational robotics, gamification has also made a strong entry into schools that intend to propose innovative models and good practices of integrated digital education, which were also tested during the epidemiological emergency throughout Europe. Such models can produce a significant impact on the learning of digital competencies, encouraging the production of digital educational content and the active participation of students in their learning. Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 57 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Today, gamification is understood as a 'set of processes and practices whereby through the use of playful dynamics, mechanics and strategies, an attempt is made to motivate, activate and involve people to act in a non-playful context 20 . Its main objective is involvement as it bases its action on motivation and the pleasure of learning with the will to modify, direct and manage behaviour. Gamification is applied in many fields: training, human resources management, health education, environmental protection, promotion of social causes, tourism, culture, and entertainment. The fundamentals of gamification are the mechanics, i.e. the basic elements on which the game is built, and the dynamics, which are the needs and desires that the student fulfils during the activity. What is gamification and how does it fit into the school environment? Gamification is defined as 'the use of typical videogame dynamics in a nongame context to encourage user involvement, make them perform certain actions and motivate them through game mechanics such as rankings, points, rewards, levels to be passed 21 . The eight key principles (core-drives) of gamification 1. epic sense: the desire to participate in something bigger, to be chosen, to be called upon to fulfil a mission is the best way to attribute meaning to the everyday life of man, through epic storytelling; 20 Nesti, Romina, (n.d.), Gamification in educazione: nuove strade per apprendere,retrieved in from https://platform.europeanmoocs.eu/course_gamification_in_educazione_nuo 21 Tassoni, M. (2021). Gamification a scuola: cos’è e come applicarla in classe. TD Blog. https://www.tdblog.it/gamification-a-scuola-cose-e-come-applicarla-in-classe 64 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Educational robotics Another method of teaching robotics is educational robotics, also known as micro-robotics. It allows students to learn, starting from scratch, through the construction of an educational robot, it's programming, its development, going through all the stages of the process. Educational robotics promotes students' creativity and their ability to communicate, cooperate and work in teams, developing their interest in all related disciplines such as mathematics, physics, etc. Its name goes back to Isaac Asimov, a Russian writer and biochemist, famous for the development of science fiction and the popularization of science. Isaac Asimov was the first to talk about 'robotics' in a science fiction short story, 'Vicious Circle', published in 1942 in the American magazine Astounding Science Fiction. For several years now, educational robotics has been making great strides in the school field because it is understood as a basic methodology for conscious learning, which means that the training of the pupil in basic school must have as its ultimate goal the formation of a citizen who knows how to get used to the change of a society in which technological development is so fast and innovative as to make obsolete all or almost all the methods used until yesterday. As Rossini says, the school's objective is the 'formation of a man capable of leading himself by the hand in the global society of knowledge' or as Edgar Morin puts it, the 'formation of a man with a head that is 'well made' and not 'well filled'. Educational robotics, therefore, is part of that series of innovative methodologies that promote 'meaningful' learning, that 'acted' knowledge that Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 65 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. students bring into play when they consciously relate elements of knowledge coming from outside with those already existing, promoting a considerable increase in knowledge, information, skills, motivation, in favour of the development of a cognitive structure capable of processing, in its interaction with the external environment, the information it receives. Fundamental is the figure of the teacher who promotes this type of learning and identifies and selects ad hoc materials and tools, who 'whets' curiosity by asking questions, engaging the student's mental faculties, and provoking the anxiety of research. With this in mind, educational robotics is accepted as a suitable tool for training students in a broad sense. Moreover, thanks to certain added values that educational robotics brings, it offers the possibility to strongly increase motivation to learn, it allows experiencing error not as a source of frustration, but as an opportunity for growth, it promotes confrontation with others by negotiating points of view and, last but not least, it is an opportunity to express creativity. Robotic competitions In recent years, one hears more and more about 'robotics competitions' in schools and elsewhere. Competitions are events capable of releasing a strong motivational effect that fosters the development of skills such as tinkering, asking questions, experimenting and playing, helping students to increase their STEM culture. Motivation may come from different factors, competition being one of its key sources. Identifiable achievements contribute to a student’s independence and 66 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. leadership skills and helps promote a positive educational process (Bazylev, Margun, Zimenko, Kremlev & Rukujzha, 2014) 23 In this context, Robotic competitions are one of the most promising ways to attract students to the field of robotics, since winning an award at a competition not only gives students a sense of accomplishment but also gives pride and visibility to their schools (Silva, Soares, Valente, Barradas & Bartolomeu, 2015) 24 . Trying their hand at an educational robotics competition prepares students to become future innovators, with 95% of participants reporting an increased interest in STEM subject areas and STEM-related careers. Robotics competitions also encourage students to apply their knowledge to real-world problems and motivate them to learn new concepts on their own (Pack, Avanzato, Ahlgren & Verner, 2004) 25 . Participating in such a contest is a way of developing computational thinking and problem-solving skills. The added value of robotics competitions is that they are a great way to expose students to valuable soft skills such as communication), collaboration and time management in a fun and authentic way. In conclusion, educational robotics promotes both the development of disciplinary skills (such as orienting oneself in lived and represented space, orienting oneself in the temporal dimension) and transversal skills (such as 23 Bazylev, D., Margun, A., Zimenko, K., Kremlev, A., & Rukujzha, E., (2014). Participation in Robotics Competition as Motivation for Learning. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 152, 835-840. 24 Silva, S., Soares, S., Valente, A., Barradas, R. & Bartolomeu, P. (2015). “Enhancing stem courses through a robotic innovative project”, in Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Technological Ecosystems for Enhancing Multiculturality, pp. 571–577, 2015 25 Pack, D., Avanzato, R., Ahlgren, D., and Verner, I., 2004. Fire-fighting mobile robotics and interdisciplinary design-comparative perspectives, IEEE Transactions on education, vol. 47, pp. 369-376, 2004. Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 67 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. communicating, learning to learn, problem-solving), as well as personal skills (such as managing one's emotions, knowing one's abilities, committing oneself to a task) and social skills (such as relating positively to others, collaborating in a group to achieve a common goal). Project-based learning Project-based learning is a pedagogical model that fosters students to explore a subject, developing research-specific skills. In contrast to traditional teaching approaches, which start with theories and progress to applications of those theories, the open-ended nature of project-based learning mirrors the way knowledge is acquired in real-world scenarios. However, having entirely open-ended projects without guidance is pedagogically unwise. Moreover, it will likely result in student confusion, frustration, and demotivation. A dilemma faced by teachers, especially in the early stages of project-based learning approaches, is how to provide students with the assistance and support they need without imposing the educator's own opinions since many students tend to treat some comments or suggestions from their teachers as directions they must follow. This activity uses peers and external experts as alternative sources of advice and feedback on project ideas presented by students in the form of entrepreneurial pitches, with a virtual world used to permit synchronous (realtime) interaction between participants irrespective of their location. Peer feedback strategies, in which students support one another mutually, have several advantages over instructor-supplied feedback, including offering opportunities for deep learning by both the giver and receiver of the feedback, 68 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. the ability for the input to be delivered in a timelier manner, and potential reductions in the instructor’s workload. In addition, soliciting input from external experts benefits students by introducing them to even more thriving and diverse perspectives beyond the walls of the classroom, giving them practice conveying their ideas to both experts and lay people, and providing them with networking opportunities and industry exposure to prepare them for their future careers. The virtual event is followed by a face-to-face component where students, after having had the opportunity to develop and improve their initial ideas in the light of peer and expert feedback received, present more developed proposals to the lecturer in a formal setting. This is a hurdle they must clear to gain approval to proceed with their projects. As such, it acts as an additional scaffolding mechanism that maximises the likelihood of their projects' success. It also serves as an exercise for students in planning and delivering presentations. The activity strives to cultivate in students creativity, entrepreneurship, and innovation skills that are in high demand in the job market today. A secondary aim is for students to learn experientially how to collaborate and communicate in both face-to-face and online environments, developing awareness of the differences in modalities and adapting as needed when moving between them, as they will increasingly need to do in the workplace and 21st-century society. The project-based learning process is closer to the real world. It, therefore, requires a more extended period to be assimilated by the student compared to traditional tasks or problem-based educational activities. Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 69 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Furthermore, project-based learning requires applying knowledge from other core subjects and requires stronger self-learning. Therefore, students need to commit to the overall management of time and resources. Project-based learning linked to the real world is necessary for progress in education. Students can be given simple real-life problems that they would try to solve on their own under the supervision of a teacher. In case of clarification, students would interact with real professionals who would guide them towards the solution. In this way, the student would become familiar with the professional culture and get practical insight into the problems. Moreover, the students would also be aware of the actual professional practices, which would ultimately help them grow as professionals. For example, mechanical manipulation in industry, though taught as a subject in schools or universities, is something to experience. How a large and heavy component is moved from one place to another and assembled with another is a practical situation that is impossible to appreciate in classroom teaching. Dealing with real-life situations also creates enthusiasm among the students towards positive learning. Providing hands-on media and technology-based support (through workshops, consultations, one-to-one support, in-class instruction sessions, online resources, digital storytelling, photo and video production, 3D printing and scanning, and data visualisation) is one of the essential components of projectbased learning. Teachers can let their students explore subject content through project-based learning without needing to personally become experts in the software or equipment required to bring these projects to life. Learning spaces foster critical thinking, creation and collaboration, encouraging all students and 70 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. teachers to engage with innovative ideas and technology in an accessible and inclusive environment. Project-based learning requires faculty to share their knowledge with their students and other local community partners. Although faculty research does not provide a template for student projects, it is the basis of a common bond that turns the classroom into a laboratory for producing a quality product for the community partner. In addition, students who present their projects to other local community partners gain invaluable real-world experience. Such partnerships are essential. Faculty versed in project-based learning is leading the effort to infuse realworld professional situations into the curriculum. This initiative documents the evolution of project-based learning and marks the generation that will envision and build the future. A teacher, when designing a project-based learning approach, expects that : 1. Students will acquire technical skills through interactive and creative activities. 2. Students will activate meta-awareness of their socio-cultural and linguistic line histories and environments and their cognitive processes as students. 3. Students will correlate different literacies (e.g., reading, writing, speaking, visual, auditory) and other interdisciplinary knowledge to narrate themselves and their identity through creative project-based learning. Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 71 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Example of specific learning outcomes 1. Students will create a three-minute digital video that combines images, a voiceover narration and musical accompaniment using an open-access video editor. 2. Students will master a concept or concepts from a content area course by explaining that concept (or concepts) to their own life experiences. 3. Students will formulate a script with a complete beginning (i.e., oriented to the content of the video), middle (i.e., answer the questions and reflect on themselves and the experience), and end (i.e., summarize their experience/story and give a final reflection or reflection). 4. Students will self-monitor their spoken English in the video narration, paying specific attention to improving elements such as pronunciation, word stress, volume, rhythm and vocal features that have previously been identified for them in the speech diagnostic tasks. 5. Students will be able to judge images and music in their videos in terms of clarity and according to the message's overall meaning and emotional tone. Digital storytelling Digital storytelling is the practice of combining personal narrative with multimedia (images, audio and text) to produce a 3/4-minute video (Lencastre, Bento, & Magalhães, 2016). Every day we hear other people about their experiences in the form of stories. Storytelling is essentially a human experience, whether it is telling stories about yourself, others, or the world (McDrury & Alterio, 2003). The stories can be real or fictitious. Storytelling is 72 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. widely used in education to enrich the learning experience. Storytelling is a natural method of human communication and prevails in all aspects of human social interaction. People tend to understand complex ideas, concepts, or information better when they occur through storytelling (Chung, 2006). Mello (2001) and Sadik (2008) say that storytelling can be used to enhance the trainee's higher-order thinking and literacy skills, thereby improving collaborative learning. Today, with the rapid development of technology, a new version of storytelling is emerging: digital storytelling. Digital storytelling integrated with technology can be a useful tool to enhance teaching and learning. The educational application of digital storytelling is attracting the attention of many adult trainers. Digital stories are grounded in the seven storytelling elements (Lambert, 2002): Point of View; Emotional Content; Dramatic Question; Soundtrack; Gift of Your Voice; Economy; Pacing. Digital stories follow the established attributes of the personal narrative genre: focuses on a single incident; has a clear purpose, the significance of which is clear to the reader; Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 73 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. is written in the first person; has many relevant sensory details; includes the author's feelings and thoughts; often includes dialogue. An additional property of digital stories is a maximum length of three to four minutes (Lencastre et al., 2016). The University of Houston (2009) Instructional Technology Department suggests the following procedures for digital storytelling: First, the student defines the parameters of the story. The student should select a topic for the digital story. Next, he should search for image resources for the story (pictures, drawings, photographs), audio resources (music, speeches, interviews, sound effects), and informational content (from web sites, word documents, or PowerPoint slides). When the student has gathered all of his resources, he should begin thinking about the purpose of the story. Is the goal to inform, convince, provoke, or question? In the second step, the student organises and selects specific audio, images, text, and other content for the story. He should import the photos and audio into Photo Story. In this stage, the storyteller can modify the number of images and image order, if necessary. In the third stage, the student creates, records, and finalises the story. He should decide on the purpose and point of view of the story and write a script that will be used as narration. He can record the story with a computer microphone and import the narrative into a video editor. Finally, the digital story is finalized by saving it as a Media Video file. 80 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. second stage teaches the essential concepts and helps students to build these into a correct answer. It is vital that they initially explore the topic in breadth and depth, testing various hypotheses and theories. Also important is for the teacher to choose a good topic to explore; it has to be understandable by the students, have many solutions, build on students' existing knowledge of the issue, and not be so easy that the answer can be found by a quick search online and not so complex that the student doesn't know where to start. Co-creation Student engagement in learning can range from low (e.g. attendance at lectures) to high (e.g. students are represented in their institution and their influence on policy and governance). Having students work as partners in the educational experience enables their engagement on a more profound level, as they are more involved and have more excellent agency through the cocreation of curricula and materials alongside their teachers. Co-creation is a relatively recent innovation that can lead to more significant empowerment of students and more profitable relationships between teachers and students and also between students themselves. Co-creation is when students work alongside teachers as pedagogical codesigners and developers to create new teaching and learning experiences or amend existing ones, occasionally based on student feedback. Depending on the circumstances, students can have more elevated or inferior levels of participation in this process. In practice, much co-creation occurs when students have some control. As students participate in co-creation activities, Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 81 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. they negotiate with others (teachers and peers) and form and evolve their identities. All members share the resources available, and they also share goals for teaching and learning. The theoretical basis of co-creation is 'communities of practice' (Wenger, 1991). Communities of practice are groups of individuals bound by a common interest who come together regularly to find ways to improve their practice. Thus, the community is established through building relationships and regular interactions with other members. They share case study stories, best practices, and what works and what doesn't as an effective way to exchange knowledge during these ongoing interactions, building a valuable repertoire of shared practices. In co-creation, students and teachers working as a community of practice can experience a more peer-based working relationship, leading to more meaningful student empowerment and reducing the hierarchy between teachers and students. Some teachers aim to involve students in planning or at least inform the initial development of learning activities, materials and tools. These professors want students to use their voices to assist the professor in making evidence-based decisions and producing engaging learning and teaching experiences. Involving students more deeply in the teaching and learning process is advantageous for several reasons, but it is not cost-free. Students may need specific skills or knowledge to be fully involved, and they may not possess them or claim they do, only for the co-creation team to discover that they are not as well developed as needed. Student involvement can change the direction of content creation from what was initially planned, leading to time and cost issues. Some teachers may resist this approach and feel threatened or consider that students do not have the necessary skills to co-create teaching 82 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. and learning. Furthermore, while student involvement may be very high, participation is likely only for the small number chosen or able to get involved. The process can further exclude those who already feel excluded. In other words, those who benefit may be already very engaged, and, likely, entire classes of students will only be able to get involved differently. In conclusion, co-creating teaching and learning increase students' engagement as they participate in these activities. This participation can facilitate the construction of the student's identity. In addition, students build community involvement and develop relationships with teachers and peers while discussing and negotiating. Teachers and students share resources, goals, interests and practices in these communities. However, this pedagogy has challenges regarding more significant student commitment, resource overload for content production teams, teachers' reluctance to employ this method, and the limited number of students who benefit from it. These factors need to be considered for further improvement and effective use of this approach. Problem-Solving Problem-solving is a pedagogical model widely used by teachers. The reason is that it is relatively easy to create problem-situations or class-problems as most people are involved in Problem-Solving every day. It occurs automatically for many of the small decisions that need to be made daily. And students accept this very well. People who can define problems, consider options, make choices, and implement a plan have all the basic skills needed for effective problem-solving. Sometimes following a step-by-step procedure for defining problems, Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 83 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. generating solutions, and implementing them can make the troubleshooting process seem less complicated. The 'Problem-Solving' process consists of a sequence of steps that fit together depending on the problem. These steps are: • Problem definition; • Problem analysis; • Generating possible solutions; • Analyzing the solutions; • Selecting the best solution(s); • Implement and follow up on the solution (Next Steps). The process is only a guide for problem-solving. It is helpful to have a structure to follow to ensure that everything is noticed. Nothing here is likely to be brand new to anyone, but the pure acknowledgement and reminder of the process can help the problems to be solved. 1. Problem definition The usual process for solving a problem will initially involve defining the problem to be solved. People often keep the problem in their heads as a vague idea and can get so lost in what they are trying to solve that no solution seems to fit. Simply writing down the problem forces you to think about what you are trying to solve and how much you want to achieve. The first part of the process involves writing down the problem to be solved. It's a verification step to make sure you don't just solve the part of the problem that's easier to solve. 84 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. People often need to verify that the problem is the right one to solve before using the most immediate solution to the first problem definition. 2. Problem analysis The second step is to examine the current situation and what is involved in making it a problem. For example, understanding where the problem comes from, how it fits into recent developments and what the current environment is is crucial in determining whether a solution will work. Likewise, having a set of criteria to evaluate any new key or whether the idea is viable. This section of the troubleshooting process ensures time is spent stepping back and assessing the current situation and what needs to be changed. After this investigation, it is often good to confirm that your problem definition is still valid. This is because, upon investigation, people often discover that the problem they want to answer is very different from their original interpretation. 3. Generating possible solutions After figuring out the problem to be solved, the next step is to generate several possible explanations. In this phase, many solutions must be generated and only evaluated after a period. Often an idea, which would have been dismissed, can be developed into a superb solution when adequately assessed. 4. Analyzing the solutions This step in the troubleshooting process is where you investigate the various factors behind each potential solution. It's good to write down the good and Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 85 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. bad points and other things relevant to each solution. After that, work on developing the idea to make it work. 5. Selection of the best solution(s) This is the section where you examine the various influencing factors for each possible solution and decide which ones to keep and ignore. Finally, it analyzes the solution and uses its judgment to decide whether or not to use it. Sometimes pure facts and figures determine which ideas will work and which won't. In other situations, it will be purely feelings and intuition that will decide. Then increase the depth of analysis for each idea and refine it further. If you don't get answers that work, you'll need to repeat the solution generation section to discover more potential solutions. Alternatively, you may have to reassess the problem. 6. Implement and track the solution (next steps). This process section is where you write down what to do next. Now that you have a potential solution, you need to decide how to make the solution happen. This will involve people doing various things at various times in the future and then confirming that they were carried out as planned. This stage ensures that the valuable thinking used to solve the problem becomes a reality. Cooperative Learning Student learning objectives can be structured to promote cooperative, competitive, or individualistic efforts. In all classrooms, activities proposals 86 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. aim to achieve goals and are conducted under a goal framework. A learning objective is a desired future state of demonstrating competence or proficiency in the studied subject. The framework specifies how students interact with each other and the teacher during the session. Each goal structure has its place. In the ideal classroom, all students would learn to work cooperatively with others, compete for fun, and work autonomously. The teacher decides which goal structure to implement in each lesson. The essential goal framework, and the one that should be used most often in learning situations, is cooperation. Cooperation is working together to achieve a goal. Cooperative Learning is a teaching model in which students work in pairs or small groups to achieve a common learning goal with teacher guidance (Johnson & Johnson, 1989). In cooperative situations, students share work to maximize their learning and that of others, seeking beneficial outcomes for themselves and all other group members. It can be contrasted with competitive work (students work against each other to achieve an academic goal) and individualistic (students work alone to achieve learning goals). In cooperative learning, the teacher evaluates the students' efforts based on referenced criteria. Although they exist limitations on when and where the teacher can use competitive and individual knowledge appropriately, you can structure any learning task in any subject area with any curriculum cooperatively. The Cooperative Learning strategies are designed to meet four principles: (1) Positive Interdependence, (2) Individual Responsibility, (3) Equal Participation and (4) Simultaneous Interaction. Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 87 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Positive Interdependence In general, we speak of positive interdependence when in pairs, the gain of one benefits the other, or in a group, the members feel like a team and are working towards the same goal. To ensure a positive interdependence when working with cooperative learning, two requirements must be satisfied: (i) students must feel that they are working for the same side and (ii) the task of each group element must require similar work. Individual Responsibility In the cooperative classroom, students work together as a team to create and learn, but each student is ultimately responsible for a part of the work to be done and, thus, for his performance. It is precisely to fulfil positive interdependence and individual responsibility that students are given time to think/work alone and interact with peers in all cooperative learning strategies. In this way, students' autonomy and cooperation are improved. Equal Participation Pair and group work is often very well received by students, but the problem is that it is difficult to verify that students are working equally. Instead, cooperative learning strategies ensure that all students in each team or pair contribute equally to the ultimate achievement. They are designed to make students interact and make everyone complete a specific task at each stage of the activity. 88 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Simultaneous Interaction In individual interaction, when only one student is involved, the teacher talks twice as much as one student does. And when the teacher is the most active participant in the classroom, students are uninterested (and probably bored). On the other hand, cooperative learning strategies are designed to produce simultaneous interaction to involve as many students as possible simultaneously. When working with cooperative learning strategies, teachers notice that working together will allow students to get to know their peers better. It also helps create a better community and, therefore, a warmer atmosphere in the classroom. Cooperative learning, by reducing student disengagement and favouring students' natural need for social interaction rather than opposing it, also helps to minimize classroom management issues. In addition, cooperative learning strategies often give students a break from class while also allowing them to move around in the classroom. Learning by doing "What we have to learn to do, we learn by doing". This quotation from Aristotle (Aristotle was an Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath) is rigorously what learning by doing is all about. Teachers are increasingly adopting 'learning by doing', a more action-oriented methodology for training. It is based on the practice of the work carried out to Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 89 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. stimulate the activity, motivation and participation of the students, sharing ideas in work groups and developing a fair self-assessment. The school is changing: online training is gaining ground over face-to-face training, digital media over traditional communication, and practice over theory. In this scenario of constant changes, learning by doing has emerged as a trend in training. For teachers who seek to improve their students' learning, this pedagogical model is becoming increasingly popular for its ability to develop essential skills such as decision-making, teamwork and leadership. Kolb (1970) defined the four steps of the learning-by-doing model: Concrete experience. Immersing people in the activities and tasks they perform gives rise to observation. Thoughtful observation. People think about what they observe and develop hypotheses with that information and its possible meaning. Abstract conceptualization. Based on these hypotheses, people generate abstract concepts that must be interpreted and assimilated. Active experimentation. People experience and put the concepts into practice in other contexts, which allows them to improve. In the case of schools, the simulation of certain situations experienced in an organization enables the development of skills and attitudes highly valued in the current context due to their strategic characters, such as creativity, critical thinking, self-assessment, analytical capacity, teamwork, problem-solving and decision-making. In addition, ideas are shared that often turn into innovative solutions that lead to improvements in productivity. However, learning by doing cannot be improvised – it needs to be perfectly planned and structured. 96 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Block Shapes To make programming easier, Scratch programming blocks were designed in different shapes, that can be connected vertically, to create algorithms or scripts, a series of connected blocks. Each block type has its shape and a slot that defines how they can connect. There are five shapes of blocks [2]: Hat blocks, Stack blocks, Reporter blocks, Boolean blocks and Cap blocks Hat blocks Hat blocks are used to start scripts and are always placed on top of other blocks. The following picture shows the general shape of a Hat Block. Every script that you build for your robot must have one Arduino Program block and may have several define blocks that allow you to execute scripts at different time points in your code. Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 97 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Stack blocks A stack block is a rectangular block with slots on the top and bottom that allows them to fit above or below other blocks. A typical Stack Block may look like this: Stack blocks are used to execute the main commands, and therefore are the ones that you will find most in your scripts. Reporter blocks A reporter block allows you to store data and contains a value that can be a numerical value or character string. The following is the general shape of a Reporter Block. A reporter block can be used in any script that requires data but cannot be used independently so you will need to fit it into another block. Boolean Blocks A boolean block contains a condition, which can be either "true" or "false" and typically is used inside condition blocks like IF. A boolean Block is an elongated hexagon as shown in the following picture: 98 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. A boolean block must be put into the hexagonal slot of another block, and therefore cannot be used independently. Cap blocks A cap block is used for a script or project and therefore it can be put only under all blocks. Don’t forget that in your project you should have only one forever block. The following is the general shape of a cap block. Notice that there are no slots at the bottom of the block. Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 99 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. The Buzzer Extension Before starting to program the robots, you need to prepare the computer to do it. The first step was to install mBlock. The next step is to install a mBlock Extension that will allow them to play musical notes. You can download the Buzzer mBlock Extension from this GitHub link and install it by executing the following instructions: Open mBlock Go to Extensions and choose the option Manage Extensions 100 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Now, click on the button Add Extension And choose the zip file that you previously downloaded (Buzzer.zip) with a double click or by selecting and pressing Open . Don‘t forget to change the file type to zip file (*.zip) Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 101 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. After that procedure, you can check if the extension is installed by looking at the Manage Extensions window. 102 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. The Checkup project Created to allow you to check every connection on your robot, the Checkup project tests every sensor and actuator that is present in your assembled robot. You can download the project from this GitHub link And then open it with mBlock. Uploading a script to Stemie After having a script programmed in mBlock, you need to upload your script to your robot. This is done by using the Arduino mode in mBlock. Check the video on the next page to understand the process of uploading. This process is very important because every change that you make in your program will need to be uploaded again. Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 103 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. After uploading the Checkup to your robot, you can disconnect the Arduino from your computer and turn your robot on. The expected behaviour of your Robot, after uploading the Check-Up program and, if every wire connection is made correctly would be the following: Both the red Led on the Arduino and the Motor Controller will light red; The Arduino L led will start blinking, waiting for you to pass your hand in front of the Ultrasonic Sensor; After passing your hand in front of the Ultrasonic Sensor, the following will occur: The robot will start moving forward with the RGB Led turning RED; The robot will start moving backwards with the RGB Led turning GREEN; The robot will start moving forward with the RGB Led turning BLUE; And then it will stop moving. 104 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. At this point of the program, you have already checked the connections of the Ultrasonic Sensor, the motors and the RGB LED. You still have to check the connections of the Line Sensor. To do so, you need to pick the robot in your hands and place one finger under each of the sensors, one at a time. When putting the hand under the: Left sensor -> Red led will light; Middle sensor -> Green led will light; Right sensor -> Blue led will light. After this procedure, the robot will restart the Check-up procedure. Check the following video and compare it with what your robot does. Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 105 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. The Stemie project The Stemie project is the basis of all the Student’s work. It contains the programming Framework developed to make it simpler for students to program the Robot. You can download the project from this GitHub link And then open it with mBlock. To better understand this chapter, there is the basic information you first need to know. In the making of the programming framework, it was agreed that the robot‘s motors were to be called by numbers, as depicted. This information is also present in the student's book. 112 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. B. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE mBlock programming language AIMS A.1 name the different measures of length and time A.2 apply prior knowledge in practical exercises B.1 program the robot to go straight SPECIFIC VOCABULARY Measurement units: mm, dm, cm, m, dam, hm, km, mile, light year, the astronomical unit Solar System: planet names mBlock Programming language: motorFRONT/motorSTOP/Repeat loop METHODOLOGIES: ● Problem-Solving ● Learning by doing ● Project-Based Learning (PBL) EXPECTED TIME: 45 min. TARGET LEARNERS: 10-13 years old students Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 113 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. RESOURCES AND TOOLS ● Pc, STEMIE ● Squared notebook, pens, pencils, erasers ● Ruler they will have to construct ● Tables provided by the teacher ● QR-codes and links provided by the teacher INTERDISCIPLINARY LINKS: Science, Maths, Technologies, Engineering PROPAEDEUTIC ACTIVITY WHAT DOES THE TEACHER DO? The teacher: • invites students to read the stimulus questions posed by Stemie and Stemia in the comic strip graphic (Figure 1) Figure 1 ● encourages students to repeat the scale of length units 114 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. ● provides the table below (figure 2) and reminds students that units can be very large but also very small: Figure 2 1. Arrange these units in ascending order The task that students will have to perform is to arrange in ascending order the units of measurement proposed. WHAT DOES THE TEACHER DO? To encourage the inclusion and active participation of all students, the teacher proposes different activities with videos and games. The teacher: • first, proposes watching the following video to better understand what is a light year: Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 115 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. • second, invites students to complete an exercise using the LearningApps digital app. The exercise requires the following length measurements to be entered in ascending order: cm, km, mm, m, dm, mile, the light year, the astronomical unit Access to LearningApps can be done in two ways: the teacher can provide the QR-Code to be scanned by a reader on a mobile phone or, if using a PC or tablet, the link to be copied/pasted into the browser’s address bar. WHAT DO THE STUDENTS DO? The students: ● read and acquire the information provided by the teacher through the table handed out carefully ● remind the scale of units of length, consolidating their prior knowledge ● watch the video provided by the teacher to better understand what a light-year is ● scan the QR-Code provided by the teacher using the reader ● alternatively, copy/paste the link provided by the teacher onto the address bar ● complete the exercise using the game provided ● receive feedback on the results achieved 116 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. After the proposed preparatory activity, the teacher promotes a brief peer-topeer discussion to obtain initial feedback from the students. This evaluation process allows: • the teacher, to redefine the course according to the outcomes; • the students to reflect on their learning styles. After the first activity, we move on to the second mission. 2. Write a program to drive the robot straight In this task, students will have to write a simple program to guide the robot while realizing that the robot motors run at 120 power and Stemie and Stemia run for 1 second. WHAT DOES THE TEACHER DO? The teacher introduces the second mission by making a premise: everyone knows that the shortest path between two points is a straight line. If that is the case, the students have to help Stemie and Stemia to go straight so that they can reach the Moon faster. However, students should consider that, due to the accident they had in the asteroid field, Stemie and Stemia’s navigational system was damaged and so they have some difficulties moving straight. To support students in this challenge, the teacher provides them with an indepth study: “if the robot rotates more to one side, the engine power of that side opposite side can be changed, eg: 125. Don’t forget that usually values are set between 100 and 255”. Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 117 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. The teacher asks students to: ● write a programme to drive the robot straight ● gives them an example in which the robot's motors run at a power of 120 and Stemie and Stemia run for one second To understand how to send a program to the robot, the teacher invites students to watch the following video. 118 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. After watching the video, the teacher suggests modifying the motor power of the opposite side if the robot rotates more to one side. WHAT DO THE STUDENTS DO? The students: ● analyse the result and reflect on how to proceed Then, using mBlock, the students: • write the code following the example provided by the teacher and insert: ✓ the motorFRONT block for the first motor by setting its power to 120 ✓ the motorFRONT block for the second motor by setting its power to 120 ✓ a wait of 1 second (the time the motors will turn) ✓ the motorSTOP block for the first motor ✓ the motorSTOP block for the second motor ✓ the code is written inside a REPEAT CYCLE Then: ● make the robot run the programme and check its operation ● if the programme does not work and the robot rotates more to one side, they change the motor power of the opposite side ● if the programme works, they have completed the task. At the end of exercise no. 2, the teacher promotes a peer discussion based on the questions: "What has happened?" "What difficulties have you faced?". The students compare notes with each other and reflect on the results. Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 119 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. At the end of the discussion, move on to mission No. 3 of the first challenge. 3. Change the robot program to run 2s, 3s, 4s… and measure the distance Stemie or Stemia has covered The teacher informs the students that to carry out this mission they will need a ruler, which they will construct themselves. They will use a maths exercise book in which 2 squares correspond to 1 cm. WHAT DOES THE TEACHER DO? The teacher asks students to: ● build the ruler and provides the following information: 2 squares on a math sheet correspond to 1 cm (urges students to remember how many cm make up a meter). ● invites to change the robot programme to perform a movement in 2s, 3s, 4s... ● asks to measure with the ruler the distance travelled by Stemie or Stemia each time ● provides a table in which to note the answers in cm and m Click HERE to download the file with auxiliary grids, or read the QR-code. 120 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Figure 3 WHAT DO THE STUDENTS DO? The students: ● reflect on the request received ● construct the ruler following the teacher's instructions: 2 squares on a maths sheet correspond to 1 cm, remembering how many cm make up a metre ● change the robot’s programme to perform a movement in 2s, 3s, 4s... ● measure with the ruler the distance travelled by Stemie or Stemia ● note down the answers in cm and m in the table provided: Figure 3 For those who finish the activity early, the teacher promotes in-depth and consolidation activities by assigning extra tasks: he asks the students to Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 121 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. program the robot to go 25 cm and 4 dm. Students who have finished the activity devote themselves to carrying out this extra assignment. Extra info for teachers: For this extra task, the blocks used are the same as provided in the previous example. The only change will be the time that the robot moves. As in other challenges, there is no single solution because it depends on several factors like, for example, the battery level of power. Finally, the teacher provides students with a pro-memory: The tasks of this first challenge end here. The teacher, before proceeding with the next challenge, must ensure that there has been full and active participation by the students and that the experience has been positively received by the students also thanks to the forms of collaboration they will have been able to put in place in the small group. The teacher will take care to highlight any mistakes if any students have made them. SELF-ASSESSMENT At the end of the whole activity, the teacher proposes to the students to evaluate the experience and how they have passed the first challenge. 128 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. WHAT DO THE STUDENTS DO? The students: ● listen carefully to the teacher's request ● observe the example given ● reflect on how to proceed ● use the programming blocks mBlock motorREVERSE and motorSTOP ● set the motor speed to 120 ● set wait time of 1 sec, after which the robot stops ● test the code Completed the exercise, discussion begins. WHAT DOES THE TEACHER DO? The teacher: ● asks the students if they have succeeded and if the robot is going backwards ● invites the students to try again if the robot does not perform as requested. WHAT DO THE STUDENTS DO? The students move on to the next exercise if the programme works correctly, otherwise: ● review the route ● identify the error ● rewrite the code. Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 129 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 2. Write the program for the robot to move forwards for 2 seconds and then backwards for 2 seconds WHAT DOES THE TEACHER DO? The teacher: ● invites the students to write the programme to advance the robot for 2 seconds and turn it back for 2 seconds, at a speed of 130, using the following blocks: WHAT DO THE STUDENTS DO? The students: ● follow the example given ● use the mBlock programming blocks motorFRONT and motorREVERSE ● set the speed of the motors to 120 for both paths ● verify the accuracy of the programming. WHAT DOES THE TEACHER DO? The teacher: • asks the students whether Stemie or Stemia have returned to the same place. If not, he suggests repeating the procedure. 130 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 3. Do you know (remember) what are parallel lines? WHAT DOES THE TEACHER DO? The teacher presents the third exercise by proposing a brainstorming activity on the word LINE, to focus the students' attention on the topic and stimulate them to retrieve previous knowledge. The teacher focuses on straight lines, particularly parallel lines. The teacher invites students to: ● take 3 white A4 sheets ● draw on them two parallel lines 15 cm apart ● place the sheets next to each other and fix them with tape ● have Stemie and Stemia compete together and gives them this image to follow to proceed with the activity. Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 131 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Before doing the exercise, the teacher suggests that students watch this video: WHAT DO THE STUDENTS DO? The students: ● watch the video proposed by the teacher ● take the material ● follow the image provided by the teacher ● perform what is required precisely WHAT DOES THE TEACHER DO? The teacher: ● points out to the students that it will be a challenge ● invites the students to let Stemie and Stemia compete together ● reminds them that the robots must go back and forth in the space between the two drawn lines and not run on the line. 132 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. WHAT DO THE STUDENTS DO? The students: ● place the path created with the A4 sheets on a horizontal surface (floor) ● place Stemie and Stemia on the sheets ● make the two robots compete against each other by checking the correctness of the programming. SELF-ASSESSMENT At the end of the whole activity, the teacher proposes to the students to evaluate the experience and how they passed the second challenge. WHAT DOES THE TEACHER DO? The teacher: ● urges students to engage in a metacognitive process by asking them to self-assess themselves ● provides a “form” and asks them to fill it in If you haven’t done it previously, click HERE to download the file with self-assessment forms, or read the QR-code. ● stimulates them to reflect on the path they have followed and on what they have learnt ● asks them to attribute a meaning to the experience they have had by promoting reflection on how it could be spent in real life ● gives feedback to each individual or group useful for improving their subsequent performance Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 133 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. WHAT DO THE STUDENTS DO? The students complete the entries in the “form” indicating: ● what knowledge they have learnt; ● how they tried out the experience; ● what they experienced and what the outcome of the operations performed was; ● the meaning they attache to the experience carried out by explaining its value in real life 134 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Challenge 3: No time to go slow Learning scenario For the third challenge, to engage the students’ interest, the teacher presents a new scenario in which Stemie will be on a mission to Mars. The teacher explains to the students that, given their journey to the Moon, Stemie and Stemia have discovered that they need a lot of energy to travel and when they are there they might have to travel at the highest speed or not so fast. This time, the mission assigned to students is to help Stemie and Stemia find out how fast they can go. Will the students rise to the challenge? The teacher starts the challenge by inviting students to reflect on some questions. There are concepts they need to think about. Stemie helps students with a comic to read. Do Stemie and Stemia know their speed? What does the speed depend on and what does the size of engine power need to be modified to change their speed? Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 135 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. The teacher specifies that to calculate the speed they need to know the distance travelled and the time to walk it. EUROPEAN KEY COMPETENCIES FOR LIFELONG LEARNING Mathematical, science and technology and engineering competence Digital competence Personal, social and learning to learn competence PREREQUISITES A. CONTENTS concept of speed, distance, time speed formula B. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE mBlock programming language AIMS A.1 consolidate the concept of speed, distance and time A.2 calculate the robot’s speed B.1 programme the robot to go back and forth by formulating elementary instructions “motorFRONT” and “motorREVERSE” 136 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. SPECIFIC VOCABULARY Content: Power, distance, time, speed mBlock Programming language: motorFRONT/ motorSTOP, motorREVERSE METHODOLOGIES: ● Problem-Solving ● Learning by doing ● Project-Based Learning (PBL) EXPECTED TIME: 45 min. TARGET LEARNERS: 10-13 years old RESOURCES AND TOOLS ● PC, STEMIE ● squared notebook, pens, pencils, rubber, rulers, erasers INTERDISCIPLINARY LINKS: Science, Engineering, Maths, 1. Write down the results in a table, as Stemie and Stemia may need on their journey to the Solar System. Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 137 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. WHAT DOES THE TEACHER DO? The teacher assigns the first task to the students and gives the following instructions: ● write the programme to make Stemie or Stemia move at a speed of 100 for 2s; The block of code is: WHAT DO THE STUDENTS DO? The students reflect on the teacher's request and the indications received to hypothesise how to proceed. With the use of mBlock, the students: ● formulate hypotheses for the solution to the problem ● use constructs typical of mBlock programming: motorFRONT / motorSTOP set the motor speed to 100 and enter a wait of 2 seconds after which the motor must stop. To do this, use the motorSTOP block ● test the code and see what happens ● if the programme does not perform its operations correctly, they must be able to find the 'bug', the error and must therefore "debug" ● reformulate the instruction sequence by rewriting the code to test it again 144 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. SELF-ASSESSMENT At the end of the whole activity, the teacher proposes to the students to evaluate the experience and how they passed the third challenge. WHAT DOES THE TEACHER DO? The teacher: • urges students to engage in a metacognitive process by asking them to self-assess themselves • provides a 'form' and asks them to fill it in If you haven’t done it previously, click HERE to download the file with self-assessment forms, or read the QR-code. ● stimulates them to reflect on the path they have followed and on what they have learnt Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 145 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. ● asks them to attribute a meaning to the experience they have had by promoting reflection on how it could be spent in real life ● gives feedback to each individual or group useful for improving their subsequent performance WHAT DO THE STUDENTS DO? The students complete the entries in the 'form' indicating: ● what knowledge they have learnt, in this case, “Calculate the speed of the robot” and “Program the robot to go forwards and backwards” ● how they tried out the experience; ● what they experienced and what the outcome of the operations performed was; ● the meaning they attach to the experience carried out by explaining its value in real life. 146 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Challenge 4: Moving in orbits Humans have always observed and studied the immensity of the sky to understand what are the Sun, the Moon, the visible points of light in the night, and the planets of the Solar System and to understand what position the Earth occupies inside... LEARNING SCENARIO The activity begins with a question posed as a stimulus to introduce the topic. What do students already know about Space and the Solar System? Do they know the distance of the planets from the Sun? Stemie and Stemia's greatest dream is to travel through the Solar System; to do so, they must know the names of the eight planets that make it up and order them according to their distance from the Sun. Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 147 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. EUROPEAN KEY COMPETENCIES FOR LIFELONG LEARNING Mathematical, science and technology and engineering competence Digital competence Personal, social and learning to learn competence PREREQUISITES A. CONTENTS: The Solar System, planets and their dimensions B. PROGRAMMING LANGUAGE mBlock programming language AIMS A.1 name the planets A.2 list the planets according to their distance from the Sun A.3 know the dimensions of the planets B.1 programming the robot to traverse a circle and the shape of an athletic track by formulating typical programming constructs METHODOLOGIES ● Problem-Solving ● Learning by doing ● Project-Based Learning (PBL) 148 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. EXPECTED TIME: 45 min. TARGET LEARNERS: 10-13 years old RESOURCES AND TOOLS ● Pc, STEMIE ● Ruler ● Notebook ● Pens, pencils, erasers ● The table provided by the teacher ● Mobile phone INTERDISCIPLINARY LINKS: Science, Maths, Engineering 1. To line up the planets in the order of the Sun's distance The teacher starts the first topic of the challenge n.4 showing a comic book in which Stemia reflects and finds a way to remember the names of the three planets at the end of the list. She transforms the English name SUN (Sun) into an acronym that stands for S = Saturn, U = Uranus and N = Neptune. A way to stimulate students' visual and cognitive memory. Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 149 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. This is how challenge no.4 starts. WHAT DOES THE TEACHER DO? The teacher assigns the first task to the students. The teacher: • asks the students to line up the planets Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Neptune, Saturn, Uranus, Venus and the Earth neatly according to their distance from the Sun; • provides the table to follow (fig.no.1) • asks the students to fill it Click HERE to download the file with auxiliary grids, or read the QR code. 150 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. WHAT DO THE STUDENTS DO? The students reflect on the teacher's request and the indications received to hypothesise how to proceed. They can digitally complete the form. The students, with the use of the exercise book: • draw on their previous knowledge of the names of the eight planets in the Solar System • name them and try to order them according to their distance from the Sun • if they are in doubt about certain answers, they discuss them in the small group and make decisions based on their choice • fill in the table provided by the teacher according to what seems to be correct Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 151 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. The students, with the use of a mobile phone/PC: • can frame the QrCode or can click on “Here” to access LearningApps • perform the required exercise At the end of this first step, the teacher encourages an exchange of information between the students by promoting purposeful peer communication. How many managed to carry out the exercise correctly? How many did not? Why? What mistakes were made? Should they learn more about the planets and the Solar System? This encourages them to study the subject more to improve their subsequent performance. The students are led to reflect on how the experience went. 2. To know which is the biggest planet in the Solar System and line the planets from the biggest to the smallest. WHAT DOES THE TEACHER DO? The teacher: • proceeds, facilitating the task for those who did not succeed in the previous exercise, by asking them if they know which is the biggest planet; 152 Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. • suggests that if they know the biggest, they can line them up from the biggest to the smallest one; • asks the students to place the planets from biggest to smallest in the correct order providing the table to follow; • asks the students to fill it in an online exercise. As in the previous exercise, the teacher: • asks students to scan the QR code or click HERE WHAT DO THE STUDENTS DO? The students reflect on the teacher's request and the indications received to hypothesise how to proceed. Again, they can fill out the form in a digital way. The students with the use of the exercise book: • make use of their previous knowledge of the size of the eight planets in the Solar System and reflect on which planet is the biggest and which is the smallest • name them and try to order them according to their size. If they are in doubt about certain answers, the students discuss them in the small group and make decisions based on their choice. The students, with the use of a mobile phone/PC: • can frame the QrCode or can click on “Here” to access LearningApps • perform the required exercise. Stemie & Stemia‘s fantastic journey through space Teacher‘s eBook 153 The European Commission‘s support for the production of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the contents which reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. At this point of the challenge, the teacher tells students that Stemie and Stemia are always curious about the world around them and they love learning new things. To prepare for this journey, they studied astronomy, learning how planets orbit stars. Now they know it takes a whole year for the Earth to rotate around its Sun. They also know that the orbits of the planets around the stars have the shape of an ellipse, which is almost a circle, with the star at the centre of the orbit. The same shape happens when a moon orbits a planet. The invitation is to help Stemie and Stemia practice a circle so that they can rotate around the Moon. The teacher concludes this topic by encouraging a moment of discussion within the small groups and then with the whole class. Students exchange information and verify the correct answers, reflecting on any mistakes made and why to improve their learning. 3. To write a program to make the robot move in circles. At this point, Stemie and Stemia know that the planets orbit the Sun. The time it takes the Earth to complete one full revolution around the Sun is one year. Planetary orbits are ellipses with the Sun at the centre. Can Stemie and Stemia make one revolution around it?