About this Research Topic
In education, the tools utilized profoundly affect the cognitive processes engaged during learning. These educational aids have progressed from mere mechanical devices to incorporate electronic and computer-based technologies, culminating in the introduction of robots. Today's educational robots blend cognitive, emotional, and social functions, enhancing the learning landscape significantly. As sophistication in educational tools grows, particularly through robotics, the potential to redefine traditional learning methods by integrating advanced robotic capabilities becomes increasingly evident.
This Research Topic aims to explore and highlight the integration of robotics and artificial intelligence within traditional educational tools. The objective is to examine how these technologies can transform educational settings, enhancing cognitive, emotional, and social learning aspects to better support educational scaffolding. Specifically, it seeks to discover how these integrations can improve diagnostic capabilities during learning processes and foster the design of more effective teaching trajectories. While anthropomorphic and non-anthropomorphic robots have been introduced in diverse educational settings, advances in technology now allow us to infuse traditional educational tools with a level of agency. For example, in mathematics education, the Towers of Hanoi has long been used as an artifact to foster problem-solving skills. But what if the Towers of Hanoi were reimagined as a multi-robot system, where each disk functions as a contributing agent, enhancing learning through cognitive, emotional, and social interactions?
This Topic invites a thorough examination of non-anthropomorphic educational robots, their implementation in classrooms, and their effects on teaching and learning. Contributions are welcomed that address, but are not limited to, the following areas:
- Non-anthropomorphic designs in educational contexts.
- Dynamics of human-robot and human-machine interactions within learning environments.
- The role of emotional machines in enhancing educational outcomes.
- Methods of non-verbal communication between students and robotic tools in learning settings.
- Collaboration and teamwork facilitated by robots in educational frameworks.
- Innovations in social robot morphologies and their applications in education.
This Research Topic aims to explore and highlight the integration of robotics and artificial intelligence within traditional educational tools. The objective is to examine how these technologies can transform educational settings, enhancing cognitive, emotional, and social learning aspects to better support educational scaffolding. Specifically, it seeks to discover how these integrations can improve diagnostic capabilities during learning processes and foster the design of more effective teaching trajectories. While anthropomorphic and non-anthropomorphic robots have been introduced in diverse educational settings, advances in technology now allow us to infuse traditional educational tools with a level of agency. For example, in mathematics education, the Towers of Hanoi has long been used as an artifact to foster problem-solving skills. But what if the Towers of Hanoi were reimagined as a multi-robot system, where each disk functions as a contributing agent, enhancing learning through cognitive, emotional, and social interactions?
This Topic invites a thorough examination of non-anthropomorphic educational robots, their implementation in classrooms, and their effects on teaching and learning. Contributions are welcomed that address, but are not limited to, the following areas:
- Non-anthropomorphic designs in educational contexts.
- Dynamics of human-robot and human-machine interactions within learning environments.
- The role of emotional machines in enhancing educational outcomes.
- Methods of non-verbal communication between students and robotic tools in learning settings.
- Collaboration and teamwork facilitated by robots in educational frameworks.
- Innovations in social robot morphologies and their applications in education.
Keywords: Educational Robots, Child-Robot Interaction, Intelligent Learning Environments, Scaffolding, Cognitive Ergonomic
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
