Using Embodiment with LEGO Robotics to Enhance Physics Understanding in Elementary School Students

Abstract

Elementary school students were taught to use LEGO NXT Mindstorm, a programmable reconfigurable robot, to observe and learn abstract physics concepts. Students were asked to use instructional embodiment to help programming LEGO robotics in a series of activities that incorporate different physics concepts including force and mass, speed and distance, and friction. The goal of this study is to examine whether embodied experience learned in programming a robotic Agent can be transferred and used as a tool to understanding and build better mental representation of physics concepts for elementary school students.