John Wheeldon Primary Academy was pleased to invite its year 5 pupils to, and successfully host, a Lego workshop on Friday 20th January 2023. The workshop focused on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) skills, and was led by Gavin Edensor, Computing Lead at John Wheeldon Primary Academy, and Richard Anderson, Lead Curriculum Consultant at Hyett Education – (www.hyetteducation.com).
The key aims of the workshop were to promote physical computing in the curriculum and to engage pupils through a practical application of two computer science ideas; sequence and selection. The children learned about computing, including a variety of technical language and vocabulary which enhanced their knowledge and experience.
The workshop involved building Lego robot vehicles, and then using a package called Lego Spike Prime, where pupils used iPads to sequence their code and program the vehicle that they had built, in order to follow set routes. Pupils estimated the distances and angles through a system of trial and error; testing their code, and subsequently modifying their codes in order to improve it. All pupils were very engaged in a very productive and educational workshop!
John Wheeldon’s pupils then added colour sensors to their vehicles and modified their code to allow them to control their vehicles in real time by placing different coloured Lego bricks above a colour sensor, which illustrated the concept of selection; that their program (and thus their vehicle) could respond to differences in the environment (the colours).
Richard said: “We looked at keywords including machine and algorithm. There were also great conversations with some groups about the impact of their design decisions. For example, if they had placed too much weight on the back of their vehicle, it reduced the grip of the front wheels, and their vehicle wouldn’t steer properly. All of this allowed the children to see the real world consequences of their designs and programming. The Y5 John Wheeldon students were great, worked really well together, and made excellent progress during the sessions.”
Pupils experienced three sessions and had the opportunity to work in groups. The winning group from each session won a trophy!
Gavin said: “Groups were chosen based on how they worked together as a team, communicated successfully and effectively and how they listen to each other. Groups which approached the task in a unique way were the most successful, some pupils added extra parts to their vehicles to make them stand out!”
Pupils reported that they also really enjoyed the part of the workshop where they were shown a rocket launch, using augmented reality, which looked as though the rocket launch was actually in school!
Also in attendance were SUAT Academies; St Edwards CE Academy, Littleton Green Community School and St Luke’s CE Academy. All schools were very impressed with what they experienced and discussed how activities of this type can integrate into the computing curriculum and other curriculum areas.
Here at SUAT, we look forward to hearing about and experiencing further developments in the computing curriculum and STEM activities!
