Effective professional development for robotics-focused learning environments
Purvee Chauhan, Vikram Kapila · 2023
Teacher professional development plays a fundamental role in enabling technology-infused quality learning experiences in schools. With the proliferation of various technology tools in educational settings, the need to upskill teachers and help them use the same is gaining momentum. Based on its proposed goals and requirements, a teacher professional development program can be formulated as one of several types and it may necessitate specific features to be rendered effective. To successfully embed technology tools such as robotics in instruction, teachers must participate in hands-on active learning experiences that can instill confidence in them to not only understand the technology but also use it for enhancing pedagogy. This chapter introduces different types of professional development and the criteria that make them effective. Next, with the use of two case studies on professional development for robotics-enhanced environments, the chapter showcases design, implementation, and outcomes of such experiences. One case study employs the situated learning theory and the second focuses on the social capital theory, both leading to improved skills in lesson planning. The chapter aims to present the characteristics and design of robotics-based effective professional development programs that can be tailored to empower teachers in varied contexts.