A new experimental program conducted by the Jewish education organization World
ORT recently introduced robotics in local kindergartens.
The initiative,
which currently runs at three kindergartens in Kiryat Yam, provides 5-yearolds
with Lego toys they can assemble into robots in the shape of cars, cranes and
other similar objects. The children then play with the robots and learn to
control them electronically.
According to Avi Ganon, head of World ORT
Kadima Mada, the Israeli branch of the organization, over 60 children are
already participating in the program.
“The goal is to provide the kids
with tools for thinking scientifically from a young age,” Ganon told The
Jerusalem Post on Sunday.
“We give them robotics as a game, but through
it they learn the essence of science,” he continued.
Ganon explained
results have already been noticed in the participating pupils.
“Their way
of thinking changes, it is much more science- oriented: they start speaking in
terms of physical rules without even knowing what they really mean
yet.”
The operation is carried out with the partnership of Tel Aviv
University, which brings in professionals to train preschool teachers on how to
manipulating the objects with the pupils.
In recent years, World ORT
Kadima Mada, which works to strengthen science and technology education in the
country, has conducted many different technology-oriented initiatives such as
equipping “smart” classroom in the periphery and distance-learning which was
used by pupils in the South during Operation Pillar of Defense last
month.
“Science is the one main subject we have on our agenda. If in
older times, carpentry used to be an important skill to learn, today, it is
science, robotics, physics and other things like that,” he said.
“What we
are basically doing is upgrading classrooms and bringing them to the 21st
century,” he added.
World ORT is now looking to expand the project, which
cost the organization around 60,000 dollars for the next three years, within
Israel as well as internationally.
It has just recently been implemented
in the only Jewish kindergarten in Chisinau, Moldova.