Abstract:

The iSchoolAfrica (iSA) in partnership with a Private Higher Education Institution (PHEI) collaborated with The Imbeleko Foundation (TIF) to present an initiative titled: Student mentorship programme that attempts to equip pre-service teachers (PST) with the skills and knowledge to introduce and teach Robotics and Coding. The mentorship programme emphasises the role of Coding to enhance the learning experience through a cognisance of STEAM subjects. The programme highlights the need for teachers to find techniques, curricula, and ideas to bring Coding and Robotics to any classroom. The course further unpacks the different Coding languages and how the skills from one language can be transferred to other languages. This study considers the experiences of PST from a from a PHEI who completed a Robotics and Coding course at TIF NGO through a mentoring programme offered by iSA.

The research questions for this study were:
(i) what are the experiences of the pre-service teachers regarding Robotics and Coding mentoring programme offered by ISA?;
(ii) how have pre-service teachers experienced the Robotics and Coding mentoring programme implemented at the TIF?;
(iii) could Robotics and Coding be used as a teaching tool to enhance pre-service teachers’ ability to teach STEAM subjects at primary school level and
(iv) what was the impact of partnerships formed between ISA, PHEI and TIF?

STEAM form the core subjects of basic education and several of these subjects are considered difficult by learners and often challenging to teach by teachers. There are several reasons as to why this is the case as we consider the basic education offering in South Africa. Several socio-economic challenges (such as poverty, unemployment, lack of infrastructure, lack of resources and facilities, skilled educators) underpin the poor academic results in STEAM subjects. This study considers efforts and partnership formed by a PHEI, TIF and ISA to bridge the gap. A PHEI partnership with TIF and ISA introduced students to the world of teaching and understanding code.

The partnership commenced between ISA and PHEI, starting with our programme at TIF. Objectives of the partnership:
(i) to expose education students to teaching coding and robotics;
(ii) to give education students the practical experience and skills in facilitating coding and robotics
(iii) to model a broader partnership between PHEI, ISA and TIF.

The TIF is based in KwaZulu Natal and strives to empower children and youth from rural communitie in the province through education. The PHEI introduced Batchelor of Education students from studying within the Intermediate and Senior phases to this programme. The four PSTs committed to 16 days of training on site, six online sessions to equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge. Through a qualitative study the researchers consider experiences of the participants who completed the mentorship programme and applied insights practically at the TIF project. The data was collected through semi-structed interviews. A thematic analysis was considered to explore the perceptions of PSTs narratives. It was evident that the Robotics and Coding content could be used as a teaching tool to enhance pre-service teachers’ ability to teach STEAM subjects. Resources, infrastructure, language barriers and access to devices are limitations to the successful implementation of the BCT course content.

Keywords:

Robotics, Coding, Preservice Teacher, STEAM.