Drones and robots in the Hub!

We're designing rich, problem solving activities designed to develop our students' mathematical thinking.

Recently in maths we’ve been exploring length, perimeter, area and volume. There have been a range of activities designed to challenge all of the learners in the class. Recently we decided to take their learning a step further by integrating robots and drones into the equations.....

After an initial talk from our STEAM teacher, the class were split into two groups. One group stayed in class and worked together in small groups to programme and navigate a robot around a set of increasingly more challenging courses. The students needed to think about distance, angles, speed, rotations, plus much more to navigate their robot through the courses. 

Meanwhile, in the school hall the remainder of the Hub were busy understanding the problem they had to solve using their number and measurement knowledge. They needed to navigate their drones around a course where there were multiple pathways (with different costs attributed to each direction they took). They had to map out their approach for the most cost effective journey. Once mapped out, they needed to construct their drones and successfully fly them through their map.

Besides the maths learning and the use of technology, the best part of these activities for me was witnessing the students collaborate, solve problems, disagree, create better plans, make conjectures and make mistakes.

In term 3 we’re planning to get the robots and drones out again so everybody has a turn with both challenges and technologies.