1.15.16

Robotics can be something you teach with, as well as something you teach about. Introduction to Programming uses robots, and covers robotics content, but ultimately seeks to give students experience and access to a much broader set of skills and perspectives called
Computational Thinking.

► Big Idea #1: Programming is Precise If you want a robot to do something, you need to communicate that idea with mathematical and logical precision, or it won’t quite be what you intended.

► Big Idea #2: Sensors, Programs, and Actions Data from sensors gives a robot information about its environment. A program uses that data to make decisions, and the robot Acts on those decisions. Data underlies the core of the entire process.

► Big Idea #3: Make Sense of Systems To understand the way something works, construct a mental “model” of it in your head that captures the important features and rules of the system. This helps you make sense of it, and also gives you a tool to “play out” (similar) new scenarios in your head to predict what would happen.

► Big Idea #4: Break Down Problems and Build Up Solutions To solve a difficult problem, try breaking it down into smaller problems. Then, solve the smaller problems, building up toward a solution to the big problem.

► Big Idea #5: Computational Thinking Applies Everywhere These skills – mathematical and logical clarity, using data, systems thinking with mental models, and problem solving – are not just for robotics. They are key to solving many problems in the world. A video introduction to these topics can be found in the “Big Ideas” block

Choose 1 of the "Big Ideas" listed above, and explain why a student can learn valuable information in the classroom while using the Lego robots.