Classbot450
A co-production with Potential Difference
Classbot 450 is a whole school interactive adventure designed to inspire primary-aged pupils to learn computer programming using live immersive drama and an accessible coding interface.
The adventure begins when pupils are enlisted to participate in a new government teaching initiative, the Classbot 450 Programme; they are then introduced to a humanoid robot teacher: Edubot450LX. In addition to supporting pupils’ coding education, the project also explores the philosophical questions posed by the advancements in Artificial Intelligence.
Addressing the Gender Imbalance in Tech
One of the key aims of Classbot 450 is to encourage engagement in coding with the girls who experience this adventure.
“There were two girls in my class, beforehand I asked one ‘would you ever want to work in coding or technology?’. She [said] hands down: “No, not interested, not in the slightest,, that's a boy’s job,” They both actually loved it. By the end, they were coming up saying how, because there were other children in the class that were talking about going into IT, and all of them now have just decided that they all want to be coders, including the two girls that I've been keeping my eye on. … They've come up and asked me about joining computing clubs next year.“
Y3 teacher, Our Lady Of Grace
“In my class, I’d say that the girls really showed [attitude shifts]. I had a good number of girls who actually picked up the whole coding thing and they felt: "this is my area."
Y4 teacher, Fryent Primary School
The charts below show the impact this adventure had on pupils’ understanding of AI:
Classbot450 is generously supported by John Lyons Charity and by Arts Council England's Project Grants.