Bez Sangari, MD of Sangari Education, answers questions covering the benefits of using robotic gamification software in the classroom and for future employment as well as Amazon’s involvement in the software.

Q. What are some of the resources that teachers can use to enhance learning in the classroom?

A. Introducing new subject matter and resources into a classroom is always daunting for the teacher. What we have found is that if the resource does not quickly make the life of the teacher easier, it will not be used. Teachers must be able to immediately insert the teaching resource into the classroom and see the benefits, otherwise it will have been a waste of time.

There are many online learning programmes available, some of which are free. However nearly all require the teacher to have a good understanding of the subject matter. CoderZ is one of the few that require absolutely no prior experience from the teacher in coding and has a complete curriculum developed for teachers and learners together with monitoring and analytics to enhance the efficiency of the  learning programme. 

Q. What are some of the skills children will need to future-proof themselves after school?

A. Future proofing our kids involves more soft skills such as conceptual and strategic thinking, creativity, problem-solving, empathy, optimism, ethics, emotional intelligence and judgment. Therefore in everything we teach we must incorporate these skills. Interestingly, enough many of these are lessons learnt in commercially available children’s strategy games, and have also been incorporated in learning programmes and competitions such as with CoderZ, the robotic learning software.

Obviously soft skill alone will not be enough, learners will need to have a good understanding of the future demands of technology. The current path is the continued digitisation, automation and remote control of all things. Thus understanding coding should be a fundamental part of a child's education. They may never need to code in the future, however they will at least understand the logic behind the working of current and possibly future machines.

Q. Explain more about how gamification can be used in the classroom?

A. Children have always naturally learnt through play, incorporating games into class time has been hindered by the sheer quantity of the syllabus teachers have to get through, thus having less time to create fun learning games. 

Games and competitions like CoderZ have been developed specifically to teach curriculum subject matter while playing with robots in a virtual world. Each learner will have access to all the information required in order to be successful and learn at their own pace, while being closely monitored through a learner management system. So play is very important, However, it must be done with a specific purpose and monitored closely.

Q. What is CoderZ?

A. Grounded in STEM and coding, CoderZ features integrated 3D simulations of lifelike robots to train students, grades 4 and beyond, in computational thinking and technical ability. It involves real-world problem-solving to develop the skills students will need beyond the classroom. Students apply principles of geometry and physics to solve virtual problems and plan, code and debug programmes to command their robots to move.

CoderZ, as an online learning platform, provides a learning environment designed for teachers to monitor students’ work as they progress. Heat maps let teachers track trouble spots without standing over students’ shoulders. The idea is that the best teaching tools are the ones that inspire discovery, and learning about robots is exciting. No prior teaching experience is needed and no expensive hardware. Just a gamified online platform that takes the complexity out of teaching STEM and computer science.

Q. What is Amazon;s involvement with CoderZ

A. Amazon runs an international CoderZ Robotic Programming League Competition. The competition is designed to introduce students to coding through gamified missions and competitions, improving engagement in STEM learning with hands-on experience. Students practice and apply 21st century skills including critical thinking, collaboration, communication and creativity which are maximised in real-time competition. Students of any skill level can participate and teachers do not need experience in coding.

CoderZ leverages technology to maximise the four Cs of education: Critical thinking, Collaboration, Creativity and Communication. It is built on these principles to strengthen STEM learning for preparing today’s pupils for tomorrow’s careers. Therefore, the role of STEM and computer science will be pivotal for students when the future job market.

STEM and Computer Science education are essential for the future and should be universally available to all students. CoderZ as a platform makes it easy for students to learn and for educators to teach through programming virtual robots to bring the subject matter to life. It is in fact state-of-the-art training for Industry 4.0. By augmenting skills training, introducing new areas of study specific to Industry 4.0 and integrating these into comprehensive programmes, children of six years upwards to high school can be introduced to advanced industry 4.0 training.

The installation of CoderZ is simple. No expensive equipment is needed and learning is self-paced. Tools, guides and progress tracking are provided for teachers and parents. The majority of educators interviewed said they would recommend CoderZ for teaching computer science and STEM the gamified way. CoderZ tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi8bawz93vc

Q. Is enough being done to train teachers to become coders and innovators, to enable them to transfer these skills to learners?

A. To train thousands of teachers in a new technology which most of them have not been exposed to is a tall order. However it is possible to have a big impact using self-paced on-line development programmes for teachers. CoderZ has developed a professional training programme for teachers to be able to quickly learn the basics and be able to guide learners through the online learning programme. Teachers have found it easy working with CoderZ for both themselves as well as their learners.