One-hundred-and-fifty science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) teachers from high schools across Qatar have been recognised at a ceremony for completing 30 hours of intensive training and instruction in the use of robotics programming in classroom settings.
The awards ceremony was held at College of the North Atlantic - Qatar (CNA-Q).
Each of the teachers successfully participated in 10 three-hour training sessions delivered by CNA-Q’s Information Technology faculty since the start of the year, while training is ongoing for a further 150 teachers at the college.
The study and use of robotics kits by high-school students has been shown to improve problem-solving and creativity as well as teamworking skills.
The positive impact of robotics programming in supporting the delivery of STEM subjects has also been recognised by the Supreme Education Council, which has backed its use as an effective and engaging way to teach technical and engineering skills to high-school students.
Robotics has been included in IT curricula for most grades at all independent schools in Qatar, with students in grades three to 10 now required to participate in one hour of robotics programming instruction each week.
The training in robotics programming is one of the core elements of the national school robotics programme, Go Robot, which was established in 2012 by Maersk Oil Qatar in partnership with CNA-Q. The programme is sponsored by Maersk Oil Qatar and reflects the business’s “sustained efforts to encourage greater participation in STEM subjects in Qatar”.
As well as supporting teachers’ professional development, it is anticipated that the training programme will encourage “ever wider participation” in the popular National Robot Olympiad and World Robot Olympiad, which take place in Qatar from October 30 to November 1 and from November 6 to 8, respectively.
Both competitions challenge teams of students from Qatar and around the world to put their skills to the test in building robots capable of solving a variety of gaming challenges.
This year marks the first time that the World Robot Olympiad will be hosted by Qatar, and teams from more than 50 countries are expected to travel to the country to participate.
Sheikh Jassim al-Thani, head of Qatarisation at Maersk Oil Qatar, said: “The programme is the ideal example of what can be achieved by balancing support for teachers’ professional development with efforts to boost students’ enthusiasm for these critically important subjects. We’re proud to be a part of its success and support the continued efforts of the country’s talented and committed teachers and educators.”
Dr Theodore Chiasson, dean of Information Technology at CNA-Q, said: “My colleagues and I are delighted that we’re able to celebrate the commitment and success of so many teachers. Our programme of training and professional development has grown considerably in the time that we’ve been running it and it is enormously satisfying to witness the progress of those educators who have completed it.”
Since 2012, the Go Robot programme has reached more than 8,000 students in Qatar and more than 1,000 teachers have participated in robotics training sessions.
Officials with the teachers recognised at the ceremony.
