According to a new study by Latitude, an international research consultancy, robots can promote new learning and creativity possibilities in children and can offer new opportunities for technologists and educators to tackle common difficulties that kids come across during their learning process. In fact, robots can promote creative risk-taking and self-direction and can improve children’s experiences with technology.
Latitude had designed a multi-phase study, which aims to offer entrepreneurs, educators, interactive content creators and technologists a better understanding about the correlation between play and learning for today’s children, to recognize the common frustrations encountered during the learning process, and to offer possible solutions.
Latitude asked children across the globe to write and demonstrate a short story that answers this question, ‘What if robots were a part of your everyday life – at school and beyond?”
Latitude’s Founder and President, Steve Mushkin informed that although the study is related to robots, it represents a new model for learning and creativity. Robots and other smart technologies can aid in revealing the intrinsic and expansive capabilities of children in remarkable ways, Mushkin said.
About 350 children, aged between 8 and 12, from Germany, France, Australia, South Africa, UK and US took part in the Robots @ School study. Children submitted text-based narratives and drawings from their imagination of experiences with robots.
Latitude is also planning to include Asian children in the study.