Robótica educativa como herramienta para la enseñanza-aprendizaje de las matemáticas en la formación universitaria de profesores de educación básica en tiempos de COVID-19

This study aims to analyze how effective an educational robotics unit in a simulated environment is for improving primary school teachers’ understanding of basic concepts in robotics while assessing their didactic use when teaching mathematics. A descriptive and exploratory case study is developed based on a qualitative methodology. Seventeen teachers in training are assessed by using open questionnaires and learning scenarios created by the participants. The results showed that even though the teachers surveyed thought it was impossible to learn robotics concepts without a physical kit, they changed their main perceptions and managed to understand the concepts and designed activities that promote the resolution of mathematical problems. It is concluded that a simulated environment provides sufficient tools to learn basic notions of robotics without needing a physical kit, which can be used for educational purposes.