A Case Study with Discovery STEM Education
Who we are
Discovery STEM Education is a non-profit education organisation on the edge of technology education who work closely with industry experts including the University of Sheffield to provide a stimulating and supportive community. Founded by Dr Melissa Butt in 2014, they have been working hard supporting educators to develop the next generation of global STEM collaborators and talents.
Based in Sheffield, Discovery STEM Education provide exciting student workshops (both after school and during holidays), education consulting including teacher training and works within a range of global programmes focused on robotics and innovation. They have been using MiRo across the range of their activities to help support both students and teachers progress and thrive with STEM.
Emily Whaites, Curriculum Development Coordinator shares in her own words, the organisations’ experience of using MiRo-E and MiRoCLOUD below.
How we are using MiRo
Words by Emily Whaites, Curriculum Development Coordinator
Since November 2020, we have run online teacher training sessions on MiRo and MiRoCLOUD, to teachers all around the world, intending to have MiRo taught globally within this year. They will be using it for students with ages ranging from primary school to young adults and these students have varying learning capabilities and experience in coding. We have been working closely with the facilitators to ensure they have the resources they require for their demographic.
Due to MiRoCLOUD’s colourful style of block coding and easy drag and drop usability, it can be accessed by everyone, adults, and children alike. The simulator allows the students to build confidence in making mistakes, they can visualise what is not working privately and then ask for help. With many robots, failing can be an intimidating part of coding. With the MiRoCLOUD they can edit and run the code quickly and the facilitator can then guide them through. The MiRoCLOUD has an easy transition from block code to Python, it is easily introduced into lessons. We have even seen students in our session writing python code at as young an age as 8.
The Outcome
MiRo has lent itself perfectly to teaching code during the pandemic, with the incorporated simulator on the MiRoCLOUD we have been able to teach MiRo coding in so many innovative ways. Before lockdowns we were teaching MiRo classes at our base in Sheffield, our classes ran with up to 15 students and they would work intently on the medical or industrial themed coding problem before testing the code on the MiRo robot. As clubs and sessions were moved online we found MiRo was perfectly suited for this way of teaching and the excitement and focus was not lost from our sessions.
“MiRo was perfectly suited for online teaching”
During the zoom classes, the problem would be set and the students would work through it on the simulator, writing and testing their code on the MiRoCLOUD, they would then share their screen and talk through their code, where all students can help and advise their peers. This setup worked so well, we will be continuing to run both Sheffield-based and online sessions in the future.
Izzy Barnes from Consequential Robotics speaks to Dr Melissa Butt from Discovery STEM Education and Professor Tony Prescott from the University of Sheffield, to discuss how online teaching with MiRoCLOUD can make a difference to student's learning. The conversation covers the challenges for teaching coding, engagement with a diverse range of students and how to apply MiRo and MiRoCLOUD.
Great competitors!
Children from Discovery STEM were just some of the entrants in the global GIFT challenge working with MiRo-E to produce assistive programs for the real world. Discovery STEM Director Melissa, says ‘the children from Discovery STEM have never been so enthused to work even harder. The finalists from Discovery were so excited and the overall challenge winner Aarna, is absolutely over the moon. Her teachers at Sheffield High School are incredibly impressed and even more excited about starting the EPSRC project MiRoCODE teacher training next month.’
Read this lovely report on MiRo from a wonderful Discovery STEM Education student - Inaya aged 6 from Totley Primary School in Sheffield.
‘This is my picture.'
‘MiRo sounds like a chick a lot. He is my favourite pet.
MiRo is a very good pet but sounds funny.
He is mixed with a rabbit, a sheep, a dog.
MiRo needs to help the hospital, he is a worker for the doctors, he is a robot. He is now helping people so he will go instead of the doctor. He will go in and tell the doctor if the person needs water, food or medicine, even plasters, or needs the toilet. He does not need food or water. MiRo does not need to go on walks, he is a very good helper, he is now a very good friend. He has ears and a tail just like a rabbit but he is not. He is helpful so much.’
