RoboLab for Schools
(ATAL TINKERING LABS)
Background
With a vision to ‘Cultivate one Million children in India as Neoteric Innovators’, Atal Innovation Mission is establishing Atal Tinkering Laboratories (ATLs) in schools across India. The objective of this scheme is to foster curiosity, creativity, and imagination in young minds; and inculcate skills such as design mindset, computational thinking, adaptive learning, physical computing, etc.
ATL is a workspace where young minds can give shape to their ideas through hands-on do-it-yourself mode, and learn innovation skills. Young children will get a chance to work with tools and equipment to understand the concepts of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). ATL would contain educational and learning ‘do it yourself’ kits and equipment on – science, electronics, robotics, open-source microcontroller boards, sensors, and 3D printers and computers. Other desirable facilities include meeting rooms and video conferencing facility.
Highlights of ATL
- Practically Implementing Science concepts: Do It Yourself Kit.
- Based on STEAM Concept: Science, technology, Engineering, Arts & Mathematics.
- Complete set of building parts.
- Step by step instruction manual.
- Video tutorials for the better understanding of building robots.
- Lots of Accessories.
- Product Quality Assured.
- Faculty development Programme.
- Service centers for product repairing.
- Spare parts for all products.
Benefits to Students
- Introducing them to current advances in technology.
- Foster curiosity, creativity, and imagination in young minds
- Inculcate skills such as design mindset, computational thinking, adaptive learning, physical computing etc.
- Improves practical intelligence.
- Makes student an active learner.
- Boosts their confidence.
- Develops logical and analytical abilities and helps students to develop Science & math Intuition.
- Strengthens research & problem-solving skills.
- Builds self-thinking which results in clarity of thought.
- Helps the students understand programming in a much easier way.
- Overall development of personality and organizing skills.Young children will get a chance to work with tools and equipment to understand what, how and why aspects of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math).
Key Features of RoboLab
Energized Learning
RoboLab acts as a perfect outlet for students as robotics is in the forefront of technology. Robotics offers teachers an opportunity to be imaginative in pedagogy.Activity Based Learning (ABL) laboratory . They get an opportunity to rediscover and redesign learning by engaging students in an inquiry-based approach where they encourage students to collaborate and be creative in solving open-ended robotics challenges.
Problem Solving and Logic Building skills
If students are given the time, space and purpose to build robots and solve open-ended problems, it will allow for thought and action to come together. The students will get an opportunity to construct knowledge and build theories, thus, strengthen their understanding of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in collaborative settings. Robotics also attracts students to content domains such as mechanics, electrical circuits and applied mathematical reasoning that often are stumbling blocks for middle school students. Program building robots aim to help students develop logic building and critical thinking skills at a very young age. Our in-house developed software enables students to program robots easily through simple drag and drop technique. Watching the output of the program in action form makes debugging programs easier and motivate students to self-learn programming by developing varied programs for the same problem statement. Suggests new teaching methodologies. Helps in inculcating ‘Practical way of learning’ which contributes to the enhancement of students thinking process.
Hands-on Learning & Engagement
It has been observed that learners of all ages enjoy hands-on construction activities. Robotics provides a context for inquiry and discovery, leading students to become active problem-solvers and to engage in their own learning. The aim of hands-on experience with engineering and mechanics provided in the robotics class is to put students in the role of creating and designing with information technology and not just using and consuming it. The lab is an effective medium to pique student’s interest in STEM fields.
Robotics is FUN
An important reason for robotics to be integrated into the contemporary learning environment is that it is FUN! After observing and working with thousands of students from grade 4 to grade 12 in our year-long program-RoboLAB, summer camps and the yearly all India level robotics competition organised by us, it is evident that students are totally immersed in the guided and open-ended challenges they are presented with and often do not want to stop not even for lunch break. Gives an extra edge for the school to make learning more interesting and fun.
Branding
RoboLab acts as a perfect outlet for students as robotics is at the forefront of technology. Helps in improving schools digital equity and economic development.Improves schools academic achievements & teaching standards.
Photo Gallery
Panorama View of RoboLab
(Hold and Drag the image left,right,up or down direction with mouse-click to view complete Robolab)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How does the school wish to create an innovative culture ?
By removing organizational barriers to creativity such as
- Entrusting children with the responsible use of tools and materials.
- Avoid being continuously instructed
- Providing space to store incomplete projects
- Keeping the ATL accessible for extended hours after school
- Conducting monthly design challenges
- Conducting course works for learning tool usage
- Enrichment of their projects by interacting with mentors
- Allowing the tinkerers to take up challenges to solve existing gaps in school environment
- Creating Eco-habitats for Nature Tinkering and Inspiring Biomimicry
How is the Tinkering Lab different from existing science, computer and other labs at school ?
The lab works on a completely different set of underlying paradigms.
The Paradigm shifts
- Aim → Inspiration
- Laboratory Apparatus → Real tools and equipment
- Method → Opportunistic rearrangement and recombination of existing material
- Result → Just a possibility
- Conclusion → Reflection
- Instruction → Constructivism → Constructionism
- Timetable → Space arrangement
Can student innovators be created ?
Children are natural tinkerers and innovators in their own right. All we can do is nurture it and not interfere with it. That is best achieved by not getting in the way of children until they need us.
- Tinkering gives the child the liberty of time when working
- Overcoming mistakes becomes personal challenges than evaluation
- Child learns to be holistically aware of the environment and thus can be capable of spontaneous creations
- Child eventually develops expertise in some area which enhances self-competency belief.
- Child becomes increasingly self-regulated as he/she owns up his/her creations
Some of Our Key School Clients
Mitcon International School, Pune
Some of Our Key College Clients
