Creativity with Lego’s MINDSTORMS EV3

Robotics refers to the design, construction, operation and application of robots and robotic systems (Jung & Won, 2018). Robots are valuable educational tools as they allow students to develop various skills simultaneously and in an engaging manner. In addition to teaching students about technology itself, robots can be used to teach traditional subject matter, such as science and mathematics (Jung & Won, 2018). Furthermore, robotics have been demonstrated to improve cognitive skills, such as analysis, prediction and computational thinking (Bers, Flannery, Kazakoff, & Sullivan, 2014).

MINDSTORMS EV3

One popular product used in robotics is Lego’s MINDSTORMS EV3, which is a programmable robotics construction set. The built robot is programmed using the freely available MINDSTORMS EV3 software by simply dragging icons into the desired sequence and making any necessary adjustments. The programming is then downloaded onto the programmable brick and the robot will respond as instructed to colour, touch and infrared light.

The programming required to instruct the MINDSTORM EV3 to follow the curved line in the video below.

Fostering Creativity

The MINDSTORMS robot engages students by allowing them to interact and experiment with a tangible object. Student engagement is important as it often leads to inquiry, which has been identified as a crucial component of creativity (Loveless, Burton, & Turvey, 2006). Furthermore, MINDSTORMS give students the liberty to lead the interaction with the technology, which, according to Edwards (2001), is an important component of fostering creativity with digital products. Furthermore, he believes that creativity is maximised when individuals are given sufficient time to explore various options and have limits placed on the possible solutions to encourage novel ideas. Therefore, teachers wishing to foster creativity within students should set specific tasks for them, such as making the MINDSTORM follow a line.

Limitations

Personally, I believe it would be difficult to use the MINDSTORMS to teach specific content as the programming required to teach the basic content that the robot is most appropriate for teaching (e.g. angles in mathematics) is too advanced. MINDSTORMS would be much more effective in teaching specific technology skills, and general skills that are broadly applicable, such as critical thinking. In particular, the MINDSTORMS robot may be useful for delivering the Technology syllabus that became mandatory for Year 7 and 8 students in 2019.

The main practical difficulty I experienced was that the paper underneath constantly slipped when the robot moved. I recommend that teachers organise large pieces of cardboard (or another large, flat surface) before using the MINDSTORMS robot in lessons.

References

Bers, M. U., Flannery, L., Kazakoff, E. R., & Sullivan, A. (2014). Computational thinking and tinkering: Exploration of an early childhood robotics curriculum. Computer Education, 72, 145-157. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2013.10.020.

Edwards, S. M. (2001). The technology paradox: Efficiency versus creativity. Creativity Research Journal, 13(2): 221-228, doi:10.1207/S15326934CRJ13029.

Jung, S. E., & Won, E. (2018). Systematic review of research trends in robotics education for young children. Sustainability, 10, 1-24. doi10.3390/su10040905.

Loveless, A., Burton, J., & Turvey, K. (2006). Developing conceptual frameworks for creativity, ICT and teacher education. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 1, 3-13. doi: 10.1016/j.tsc.2005.07.001.