SUPPORTING THE GROWTH OF DIGITAL MONOTSUKURI CREATORS

Programming class for kids

[Japan] Mazda Motor Corporation

Programming class for kids

Mazda has been implementing an educational program for 3rd to 6th grade elementary school students since 2008.
In FY2019, about 220 children and their parents and guardians participated in the "Let's try programming! Can we make robots move how we want them to?" events held in Hiroshima Prefecture (Fuchu Community Center, Kusuna Community Center, Yamato Museum) and Aichi Prefecture (Port Messe Nagoya)*, where they used computers to program robots to move.

Participating elementary school students commented, "It was fun cooperating with group members to think about the order," "I learned that the robot won't move as you want it to without precise programming," and "It was fun learning."

* Exhibit: Kids Engineer 2019 exhibit held by Society of Automobile Engineers


By the numbers
Duration of program: 12 years

What can we program?

What can we program?

Mazda accepted company tours from neighborhood elementary schools, in cooperation with Hirojiren, which supports fostering the next generation of innovators, as part of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, and Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's "Future Learning: Programming Education Promotion Month (Sept. 2019)," implemented in anticipation of programming classes being made compulsory beginning in FY2020. From the perspective of "programming used by an automobile manufacturer," Mazda conducted programming education for elementary school students using the assembly line parts transportation system and automatic breaks.


By the numbers
Duration of program: 1 year