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"The workforce observed that people coming in are lacking in certain skills. Those skills are things that the kids should be learning in their classes... like being able to work effectively in a team, being able to solve complex problems independently, and understanding the complexity of systems."
--Meri Cummings, curriculum designer with the NASA-sponsored Classroom of the Future
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To research what inspires children to learn, NASA launched the Classroom of the Future, located within the Erma Ora Byrd Center for Educational Technologies at Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia. NASA charged the Classroom of the Future with creating a model of inspiration—that is, what inspires learners—and then using that model to find ways to help students achieve more in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, what NASA calls the “STEM” careers.
So far, Classroom of the Future researchers have identified five keys to inspiring kids to learn: creativity, imagination, identity, mental models, and self-efficacy (a person’s perception that they can succeed at a task). These dimensions work together to improve children’s skill levels and abilities to take on challenges. LEGO bricks and robotics models provide a good tool to test the research. Using LEGO bricks, including a special programmable brick, students construct robots and create software programs to perform a series of tasks with their robots. |
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