Abstract:

One of the current requirements for teaching mathematics in the Czech Republic is the development of pupils’ digital literacy. The market offers an increasing number of digital aids that can be used for this purpose. They mostly include various digital instruments such as personal computers, mobile phones or tablets. But recently, there has been a boom in robots and robot construction kits. Popular tools include robotic aids (Bee-Bot, Ozobot) and it appears that they can serve educational purposes in a playful way, including the development of pupils’ logical thinking, creativity, cooperation, etc. A precondition for an effective use of robotic aids in teaching mathematics is prospective teachers’ abilities to work with these robots and include them in task solving.

The aim of the paper is to examine the beliefs of prospective teachers about their readiness for the implementation of robotic aids in teaching mathematics in elementary schools. The basic research assumption was that a high level of teachers’ readiness for using robotic aids would increase their beliefs about their own readiness and, as a result, in lesson planning prospective teachers would opt for robotic aids more often and would actively use them in mathematics classes.

To achieve this objective and to reflect on the research assumption, the use of robotic aids was included in undergraduate training of prospective mathematics teachers at the Faculty of Education, Palacký University Olomouc. In special seminars, students learned about the theory of robotic aids and their practical use in teaching mathematics. The paper reflects on the readiness of students who attended a special seminar and tried out specific activities with a Bee-Bot and Ozobot designed for use in mathematics classes in elementary schools. The students were shown various task modifications with respect to specific learning contents and subjects.

In order to gain feedback, in October 2020 immediately after completion of the seminar, the students were given a 14-item questionnaire designed by the authors of the paper. Three items were open-ended, while the remaining were closed with a six-point Likert scale. The items focused on the students’ overall teaching readiness and their experience with robotic aids, etc. Given the current COVID-19 pandemic and the stringent requirements for equipment, the research sample had to be reduced to 20 respondents. Nevertheless, this was a top sample.

The respondents assessed their readiness in a positive way, appreciated the use of robotic aids but on the other hand would welcome more elaborate preparation for their implementation in mathematics classes. These results suggest the need to strengthen prospective teachers’ undergraduate training in this area.

Keywords:

Beliefs about readiness, mathematics, prospective teachers, mathematical tasks, robotic aids, Bee-Bot, Ozobot.