Botley ad Dash teach students coding

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Using user-friendly robots Botley and Dash, students at the Lawrence Primary School learned creative problem-solving, computational skills and how to code. Through a partnership with Peninsula Public Library, children’s librarian Pat Murphy brought in an assortment of robots to the school in Inwood.

“During our STEAM lessons, our third grade students had the opportunity to practice their coding skills by working together to code and program the robots, set up mazes, and send the robots spinning across the tables,” Tracy Boerum, Lawrence Primary School Makerspace and STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, math) teacher said in a news release. “These types of fun and engaging activities, many of which are made possible through our partnership with Peninsula Library, are what stimulate our students, enriching the learning experience.”

The students saw their virtual coding transform into tangible learning experiences in real-time as Botley and Dash interacted with and responded to their surroundings based on the students’ coding.

“Introducing our young learners to STEAM early on promotes their academic growth,” Kristen McLoughlin, principal of Lawrence Primary School, stated in the release. “It promotes the development of critical-thinking and reasoning skills. These real-life are vital for success as our students move through their elementary and secondary school years and on to college, trade school, or the workforce.”