Abstract:

Energy consumption has been linked from the origins of humans to the development of the great civilizations, that is why its availability and good use are already a fundamental piece when determining the success of world economies. However, the depletion of fossil fuels and the progressive increase in CO2 emissions forces governments to take measures against climate change. It is, therefore, a crucial task of teachers to raise awareness among students from the school stages of the importance of making responsible use of energy and the importance of environmental care.

More and more subjects are addressing the different types of renewable energies that exist in the market and their operation from Primary Education. However, the integration of digital competence and the ability to learn are not always involved in the activities proposed in the classroom. It is essential to train students, and digital natives, in the management and development of computer tools that allow them to model and simulate physical and mechanical phenomena. Optional subjects in High School as Industrial Technology or Earth Sciences and Environment, are of vital importance for the integration of these competencies that are displaced by the pressure of the university entrance exam.

Educational Robotics is an interdisciplinary teaching system that enhances the development of skills and competencies in students. In this work, we present the experience carried out in an educational center in Madrid where the challenge was posed to the students of building a prototype of the air conditioner for the Industrial Technology subject. To do this, the fundamentals of Learning Based on Challenges are shown, which laid the foundations to motivate students to achieve the objectives. The proposal can be extrapolated to other subjects, and for this purpose, the Curriculum epigraphs that were taken into account to work annually through the proposed project and the planning followed are shown in detail.

The results showed a high level of commitment on the part of the students, as well as a high degree of responsibility in the handling of the equipment and manufacturing of the prototype. This experience shows how teamwork benefits learning, the wide potential of free software to carry out academic work and how it is possible to integrate research challenges in the institute classrooms. Any effort to raise awareness among students about the benefit of responsible use of resources so as not to compromise the well-being of future generations deserves to be incorporated as a line of work in the educational centers through transversal and multidisciplinary projects in all educational stages.

Keywords:

Educational robotics, challenge-based learning, high school, renewable energies.