Within a classroom brimming with enthusiastic learners are numerous square matrices and an assortment of 3D printed furniture ensembles.

Cohorts of scholars in grades 4-8 are concentrating on the task assigned to them: a practical robotics endeavor blended with narrative creation and programming.

Professor Roger Hill and clinical professor Petros Panaou from the Mary Frances Early College of Education recently facilitated a robotics seminar for primary and intermediate grade pupils at Annunciation Day School in Atlanta, intertwining literature and Greek heritage with the principles of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

“The students became captivated when we transitioned to block-based programming,” remarked Hill, who heads the Department of Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies Education and is also a professor in the Department of Workforce Education and Instructional Technology. “It proved to be slightly more fascinating to them than the simple push-button operation of the robot, and they glimpsed more opportunities with programming.”

The article Forming connections through robotics and literature was originally published on UGA Today.