Educational Robotics in the Field: A Learning Experience for Pre-Service and Cooperating Teachers

Educational robotics (ER) has been introduced into K–12 classrooms for its adaptability across subjects and grade levels. While previous studies have shown that ER effectively enhances students’ learning and understanding, little research has examined how pre-service and in-service teachers collaboratively learn and support one another through ER-integrated teaching. This study explored how teaching pairs of pre-service and in-service teachers collaborated, the challenges and opportunities that arose during implementation, and professional growth and needs around the use of ER in the classroom. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with eight teachers who attended a university-led ER professional development (PD) workshop and delivered ER-integrated mini-units. Findings revealed that the collaborative design of PD sessions fostered a shared commitment to integrating technology in the classroom. The implementation stage formed a supportive professional learning community that encouraged teachers to take risks and embrace uncertainty. Participants valued ER for enhancing student learning and promoting inclusivity, autonomy, and collaboration, but identified technical challenges, limited resources and budgets, insufficient ongoing technical support, and a lack of curriculum-aligned guidance as major obstacles to sustainable implementation. The study emphasizes the importance of continuous professional development and institutional support to sustain ER-integrated instruction. Cross-career-stage collaboration boosts teacher confidence, fosters growth through challenges, and promotes lifelong learning among educators of all experience levels.