Robotics Learning at Elementary School: Constructing Abstractions Using Multiple Instruments

Abstract

This paper explores the robotics learning process at elementary school using a sociocultural approach. Its focus is on the activity of students aged 6-8 years during robotics learning sessions designed and implemented by two teachers. Drawing on two case studies, this research examines the functions of artefacts and semiotic representations during the learning process. While numerous artefacts are used, this question, well documented in the field of mathematics, is still little studied in the field of educational robotics. Microgenetic analyses highlight the multiple conversions triggered by the artefacts used in constructing the symbolic representations that make up the formal language to be acquired by students when learning how to program a sequence of instruction. The study highlights the embeddedness of the process of abstraction in this field.