Through extensive research, we compiled a list of important features that make up the best online robotics classes for kids so that concerned parents can make informed decisions on their kids’ future in robotics — whether it’s for selecting the best course or making the most of the current one.
Important features of the best online robotics classes for kids
- Accredited robotics syllabus
- Experienced teachers
- Interactive activities
- Nurture values
Accredited robotics syllabus
Skim through their content outline for kids as well as their online teaching process to see if it appeals to you in any way (your intuition is important) and get a good idea of what their services entail.
Look for claims by authoritative organizations that a particular service can be trusted, called accreditation, but don’t ignore courses that don’t have such a thing. Robotics classes with genuine customer reviews will do, provided you find them on platforms like Trustpilot.
The syllabus is meant for kids, so it shouldn’t be that difficult for parents to grasp either. If you’re part of their learning experience, it could mean a world of difference to your kids’ future.
Experienced teachers
Another way to verify the effectiveness of a syllabus is by checking the background of its teachers, since they often participate in its formation.
The background of the teachers is perhaps the most important feature of any online robotics classes for kids because it significantly affects the quality of every other feature, and the syllabus is just one example.
Your kids’ teachers are quite literally who your kids turn into in terms of not just knowledge but also character. Keep in constant touch with the teacher about your kids’ learning progress and overall development. It’s obvious why this is needed, but what’s not obvious is that this will help you learn more about the teachers beyond their flashy resumes.
They might reassure you that everything will be taken care of without your intervention, but it’s always better to be part of your kids’ learning experience by sitting in on classes when possible.
Get your kids to talk about their online classes and keep you updated on what they’ve learned. This would be a more convenient way to be part of their learning experience, not to mention that teaching someone else is one of the best ways to consolidate concepts.
Interactive activities
Robotics is part typing code into a computer and part hands-on building stuff. Being an online robotics class has its limitations with regards to providing a hands-on learning experience.
Often they’ll ship robotics kits to make up for this and the online classes that make use of these kits entail follow-along building classes, but they may not be enough in which case you might want to get their recommendations on coding toys for kids to enhance their learning.
It’d be great if they can get the kids to interact with each other to come up with their own ways of using code and robotics kits, this sparks creativity and innovation which are the major qualities of robotics professionals.
Nurture values
Question the service providers (the companies providing online robotics classes for kids) about the values of a programmer and how these are reflected in the teachers they have employed as well as how they plan to impart them to the students.
The mental resilience of a never give up mindset is required to thrive in a programming career. This is because the biggest part of the job is correcting errors in code. That’s the nature of good code; keep trying till it succeeds, and only good code is acceptable.
It’s important that any online robotics classes for kids highlight these much needed career values because technical knowledge will only get you so far; soft skills and a strong character are what take them all the way to success.
The process of coding itself imparts values to children that prepare them for many facets of life. One of the benefits of coding for kids is that they grow up to be logical thinkers and mentally resilient.