Abstract:

The robotic building kits are recently becoming more and more popular in the Czech Republic as a tool of education in elementary schools. They are not only used directly in classrooms, but also have their place in leisure and free time activities. With the help of these kits the pupils acquire the basics of algorithms to solve simple and more complex tasks while learning the basics of programing.

At the time of transitioning to the upper primary school the way of thinking among the pupils changes significantly. Sometimes this time period is referred to as the formal operations stage. The creative thinking develops and the pupils can understand concepts more easily. Also, at this time, strategic thinking is developing.

Our objective was to determine whether robotic kits may have an impact on the development of abstract thinking among the elementary school pupils. In our research we tested the cognitive skills of pupils that used robotic kits in classrooms actively. We closely focused on a group of students that have never used the kit beforehand. Testing was carried out in cooperation with the teachers on selected schools and with the acquired results it should be possible to verify whether the robotic kits positively affect the abstract thinking of the pupils. This verification is based on the results of the testing that was carried out in collaboration with the teachers at selected primary schools.

Keywords:

Education, LEGO, elementary school, cognitive abilities.