Time to introduce robotics education
The introduction of robotics education based on a programmable mobile platform car and its accessories in computer labs has become very popular globally, particularly in the US, Japan, UK and Singapore. In these countries, education programmes for school students to conduct experiments and build projects using robotic equipment and personal computers are becoming increasingly common. These programmes target class V-X students who learn and use high level programming language to instruct state-of-the-art embedded robotic mobile platforms.School principals, educationists, and teachers might ask why another activity/subject should be imposed upon students who have many subjects to learn and already have supplementary activities such as computers, science parks, math labs, electronics, etc. Moreover they argue that teaching-learning standards in India’s elite schools are already on a par with global standards and curricular additions are superfluous and disturb well-functioning secondary systems.
Yet how well are children learning in the country’s best schools? Last year (2006) the well-known NGO Education Initiatives and Wipro conducted a study of 32,000 students in classes IV, VI and VIII in 142 top schools in six metros. Their study indicates that the average score of students in India’s top schools is significantly lower than the global average score in English, science as well as maths! A detailed analysis of the surprising outcome of this study indicates "rote learning, excessive textbook content and (striving for) higher and higher board scores," as prime causes of the relative academic backwardness of India’s secondary students.
It is instructive to examine trends which have reshaped the world economy in the past 30 years. Computers became popular in the 1980s and ubiquitous in the 1990s. Today India is a frontrunner in information technology, one of the biggest businesses worldwide, which has generated over 1.6 million well-paid jobs during the years 2000-06 in India. Yet it is important to note that computers existed a long time before the 1980s and 1990s. However towards the end of the 1980s, the advent of better techno-logy miniaturised computers which then became universal. The nations which took to teaching-learning computer sciences early, were the ones which benefited the most.
A similar trend is discernible in robotics. Dr. Rodney Brooks, Panasonic professor of robotics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) believes that robots will become as commonplace within the next five years as computers became 12 years ago. This will lead to numerous companies entering this domain and many new high paying jobs will be created in robotics as in the IT industry. Indeed this has already started happening in India. A large robotic multinational has set up its development office in Mysore and some European robotic companies have established development centres in Delhi.
This is why it’s time to introduce robotics education in school curriculums. First, robotics education is important in itself given that the robotics revolution is imminent. Second, robotics education is ideal for breaking rote-learning habits as it encourages students to do ‘incentivised problem solving’ using math and science skills. Thirdly, robotic projects encourage multi-disciplinary team work which boosts creativity, encourages thinking and debate and nurtures innovation. These are very important skills essential for budding inventors, engineers, scientists, doctors and professionals, which are ignored in current curriculums.
Robotics education is not only about teaching robotics, but teaching science and math using application methodologies. For instance, under our Pitambar Infovision robotics education programme, we have designed an educational robotic car which can be programmed to move in various paths, directions and perform other activities. Experiments based on the car stimulate young minds. Kids can design rotating and glowing cars, a solar system of moving cars, remote controlled cars and other models which they will invent for the first time! All such initiatives are multi-disciplinary and require knowledge of programming, electronics, science and maths. They also require team-work, cooperative effort, patient listening, discussion, respect for varied opinions, project planning, work distribution and implementation. Assign projects in a framework of a competition among teams and one gets an incentivised market, where each team has to build and present its product. The best team wins!
We believe such innovative and incentivised robotics oriented learning programmes are essential for all school students to equip them with skills to cope in the new era of 21st century education. Robotics education will not only ready them for the dawning age of robotics, but also enhance their understanding of traditional subjects such as maths and science.
(Dr. Vijay Aggarwal is director (innovations) at Pitambar Infovision, Delhi. Varun Aggarwal is founder of the MIT India Reading Group)