At the beginning of the school year, the City of Turku acquired two educational robots that enable pupils with long-term somatic illnesses to stay connected to their own school from home. The new AV robots, Aura and Paavo, immediately began their school journey in the autumn.
The unit of the Children’s and Young People’s Clinic at Kiinamyllyn koulu now has a total of six educational robots in use, two of which were acquired by the City of Turku during the summer. Decisions on lending the robots and the duration of use are always made individually through multiprofessional consideration.
– Educational robots are used only in the teaching of children and young people with somatic illnesses. The school robot is a pedagogical solution that creates new opportunities for participation and equality for pupils affected by illness in exceptional circumstances. For children and young people with mental health symptoms, education focuses on supporting rehabilitation through everyday routines and maintaining as normal a school experience as possible. Robots are not a solution to school absenteeism, says Juha-Pekka Mynttinen, principal of Kiinamyllyn koulu.
New robots make teaching easier to plan and deliver
Children and young people have the right to basic education regardless of illness. A child receiving longer-term treatment at the Children’s Clinic in the Majakka Hospital at Turku University Hospital receives teaching provided by the hospital school.
In hospital, teaching is often arranged individually at the patient’s bedside. When circumstances allow, pupils may also study in the hospital school classroom located near the ward. If a pupil is unable to attend their own school between hospital treatment periods, for example due to the risk of infection, their home school must arrange teaching at home. In such cases, education is provided through exceptional arrangements, such as remote connections. The educational robot is the latest method making use of remote learning technology.
– Using robots in the classroom is a relatively new way of teaching pupils with somatic illnesses. New technologies and practices require schools and teachers to adapt. Once teachers and schools become familiar with the device, experiences have been positive. The robot does not replace the teaching provided to these pupils, but it makes planning and delivering education easier, says special needs teacher Maiju Syrjälä.
Robot use is becoming more common in hospital education
The use of robots in hospital education has increased in recent years. University cities already have several educational robots, and some other municipalities in Finland have also acquired their own when the need for alternative teaching arrangements has arisen.
– The lightweight robot is easy to carry in its own backpack. It is placed on the pupil’s desk in the classroom, and the pupil operates it from home using an iPad. The pupil can participate in lessons by raising their hand, answering questions and completing tasks together with classmates, Syrjälä adds.
Pupils can remotely control the robot to rotate 360 degrees on the desk, allowing them to see and hear what teachers and classmates are saying. A green light flashes when the pupil wants to raise their hand and answer a question. A blue light indicates that the pupil is unable to participate in teaching at that particular moment.
– Using the robot, pupils can also express emotions by selecting an emoji on the iPad. The robot then shows through its eyes whether it is thoughtful, happy, sad or neutral. The robot cannot record audio or video. Pupils can also take part in informal school situations and breaks between lessons, which is important for their overall rehabilitation and helps enrich their everyday life, says special education teacher Gabriella Stenvall-Vihervuori.
The statutory area of responsibility for hospital schools covers early childhood pre-primary education and basic education for children and young people. If necessary, the robots can also be utilised in early childhood education services in Turku.
The acquisition, implementation and maintenance of the robots provide an excellent example of cooperation between administrative sectors and areas of responsibility, carried out with the overall wellbeing of children and young people in mind.
– The robots were acquired in cooperation between Turku University Hospital and the City of Turku, while the licence fees are paid by the Association of Friends of Children’s Hospitals. The hospital school provides guidance and support for using the devices, and the TOP Centre supports their use by providing iPads and technical assistance, Mynttinen says.
Kiinamyllyn koulu is responsible for hospital education at the Children’s and Young People’s Clinic and the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit of Turku University Hospital. Pupils come from municipalities across the Wellbeing Services County of Southwest Finland. In addition to pupils receiving hospital treatment, the school also provides education for pupils in psychiatric outpatient care whose schooling has been interrupted, or is at risk of being interrupted, due to mental health challenges.