TEACHING PROGRAMMING SKILLS TO ROMA CHILDREN USING
„BLUE–BOT“ ROBOTS
Diana Kondratavičiūtė, Social Worker at the Roma Community Centre and Social Work Student at the Faculty of Pedagogy, Vilniaus kolegija / Higher Education Institution
Renata Kondratavičienė, Vilniaus kolegija / Higher Education Institution, supervisor
Educational innovation and the integration of technology into the educational process is an important step towards ensuring equal opportunities for learning and development for all children. On 20 March 2024, the International Day of Happiness, the Roma Community Centre hosted a special event where Roma children learned the basics of coding with the help of Blue-bot robots. It was not only an educational event, but also a cultural one, encouraging the children’s creativity, logical thinking and teamwork.
The children were taught how to program the robots to go to certain boxes with pictures that would make the children happy. This was an interactive task that not only developed the children’s programming skills, but also allowed them to express their feelings and understanding of happiness. Here are some of the children’s thoughts on what happiness is: “<…Happiness is when Mummy gives me a hug. Happiness is when I play with my best friends. Happiness is when I eat a sweet apple. Happiness for me is when I learn a new Lithuanian word. Happiness is when my family gets together. Happiness is when my blue-bot robot does what I tell it to do. When I paint and my painting looks good, I feel happy. Happiness is when I help someone and they say “thank you”…>
This approach is a great example of how technology can be used in the classroom to help children learn through play. Programming Blue-bot robots is not only fun, but also an effective way to teach children critical thinking, problem solving and algorithm building. These are important skills that children will need in the future, regardless of their chosen career path.
This event is also an important step towards involving the Roma community in education, reducing social exclusion and promoting integration for all children. It shows that learning can be meaningful and enjoyable for all children, regardless of their background or social status. The event demonstrated that education is a key tool for achieving social inclusion and equal opportunities for all.
The work of the Roma Community Centre is an excellent example of the integration of the Roma minority into Lithuanian society.