Introduction
On Teachers’ Day in Mexico, it’s essential to reflect on the significance of engaging and meaningful teaching methods. The “Project-Based Learning Through Game” workshop, designed by Fundación RobotiX in Mexico, has enabled nearly 4,000 educators and school leaders to revolutionize their teaching approaches by placing students’ questions and curiosities at the heart of the learning process.
The Power of Gamified Learning
Over the past few decades, educators across Mexico have demonstrated and experienced the importance of incorporating playful methodologies in education. These approaches empower students to build their learning, strengthen confidence, develop autonomy, foster collaboration, and maintain a passion for discovery.
In this context, the Mexican education system has prioritized Project-Based Learning (PBL) as part of the New Mexican School. Recognizing PBL’s impact, Fundación RobotiX, with support from The LEGO Foundation, designed the “Project-Based Learning Through Game” workshop to introduce teachers with new strategies that make learning more meaningful.
“This workshop should reach more teachers. This methodology breaks the paradigm that learning must be serious and without play. The game becomes the engine of learning, and children learn more because they are excited, which also motivates us as teachers,” says Gabriel Aldana, a zone supervisor in Yucatán.
The Rise of Purposeful Education
Since 2023, the workshop has received approval from the General Directorate of Continuing Education at the Secretaría de Educación Pública (SEP), allowing it to be available nationwide and contribute to teachers’ professional development.
- More than 3,000 teachers, 600 school leaders, and 200 teacher trainers from 11 Mexican states have been trained through this workshop, thanks to SEP and state education department support.
- Successful implementation has occurred in Tlaxcala, Querétaro, Nayarit, Colima, Tabasco, State of Mexico, Tamaulipas, Puebla, Nuevo León, Yucatán, and Zacatecas.
These educators’ experiences show that purposeful education is possible when centered on students, integrating play and connecting with real-life situations.
“At Fundación RobotiX, we are excited to see how this training has propelled the transformation of learning through playful methodologies, generating a positive impact on thousands of educational centers. We firmly believe that collaborating with teachers is the key to instilling a love for knowledge in girls and boys, as well as building a community’s present and future Mexico we aspire to,” mentioned Roberto Saint Martin, Fundación RobotiX’s director.
Empowering Students and Communities
In Tabasco, four teachers known as “The Superheroines” inspired their students to create the “Mieletas” project: healthy popsicles made from local honey and fruits, aiming to change their community’s unhealthy eating habits dominated by junk food.
Foto: Cortesía
In Nuevo León, teacher Ginna Zamudio motivated apathetic and disengaged students to discover a love for learning through a project based on their group’s interest in astronauts. In just a few weeks, her first-grade students recognized letters and wrote their names, while parents became actively involved in the school.
Foto: Cortesía
In Yucatán, Carla Góngora inspired her students to design an interactive device supporting students with diverse cognitive abilities. The project emerged from their interests and needs, now used in other classrooms and attention centers.
“Now my students do projects with purpose. They define, lead, and own their learning. It’s fantastic,” says Carla Góngora, the teacher.
Join the “Project-Based Learning Through Game” Workshop
Discover more about Fundación RobotiX’s initiatives at: https://fundacionrobotix.org
