College of Education, Boys and Girls Club host robotics camp for elementary school students

This past summer, 12 first-grade students participated in a robotics camp run by graduate students and faculty of the Mary Frances Early College of Education in partnership with staff at the Boys and Girls Club at H.T. Edwards.

Running from July 8-17, the two-week camp was regularly attended by 12 students from the Athens area and introduced them to STEM-related terminology and skills.

Students were divided into groups daily and rotated through three stations operated by graduate students in the College of Education’s Department of Educational Theory and Practice. Each station had a different robotic manipulative for students to work with, where they learned new terms like “engineer” and “debugging,” new skills about STEM, like programming and sequencing, and strengthened their communication skills.

“The summer robotics program at our facility was a tremendous success! Each day kept the children engaged and excited about what was coming next,” said Cherene Williams, director of the H.T. Edwards Club. “Designed with inclusivity in mind, the program catered to all children, including several on the spectrum. Watching the young participants program the Bee BOT and see it come to life was a highlight for everyone involved. Parents were truly impressed with the creativity and enthusiasm displayed throughout the program.”

Williams partnered with Kyunghwa Lee, the Omer Clyde and Elizabeth Pharr Aderhold Professor in Education, to operate the camp, along with graduate students Stacie Abdallah, Gyu Lim Choi, and Shereen Sayed.

The camp served as a learning experience for both the elementary school students in attendance and the graduate students working with them each day.

“The opportunity to work with Dr. Lee at the 2024 summer robotics summer camp was a challenge and a blessing. It was a joy to watch many of the students work with robotic kits for their first time ever and to witness their excitement as they learned and mastered new information,” Abdallah said. “I learned so much about the children and myself as an educator through this experience. I look forward to digging into the data and working to make opportunities like this even better for the future.”

The program concluded with students presenting final projects, with many of their families in attendance. Lee said several of the families shared positive feedback about their children’s experience attending the camp, and that she hopes to continue collaborating with the Boys and Girls Club of Athens to make the camp an annual event and to provide access to more students in the community.

“Since I was appointed the Omer Clyde and Elizabeth Pharr Aderhold Professor in Education in the fall semester of 2023, I’ve thought a lot about ways to give something back to this great city of Athens by working with young children from under-resourced and historically marginalized communities,” Lee said. “I’ve also wanted to build sustaining relationships with children, families, and community leaders in Athens. I’m grateful to Ms. Williams for welcoming us to her club.”