Robots in Science Class: Teachers' Reflections on Their Integrated Robotics Unit Designs

ABSTRACT Robotic technologies provide an innovative way to engage students in design and computational thinking practices while supporting disciplinary learning goals. Integrating robotics technology into core content courses also supports a broader range of students to engage in technology exploration. The Robots in Science project supported middle school science teachers to integrate robotics and computational thinking practices into their classrooms, in ways that are aligned with their disciplinary goals for students. This article describes the work of two experienced science teachers who designed integrated robotics and science units for their students and then revised these units for re‐teaching. Taking a qualitative data analysis approach, the research examines changes the teachers made to their integrated units, and how those changes were influenced by both their evaluations of student learning, and their own knowledge about instructional design, teaching, and technology. The article concludes with suggestions for how best to support teachers who wish to design integrated robotics units to enhance their disciplinary teaching.