Robots’ Maze Adventure

The lesson begins with a story in which the robots Hoo and Ray enter an underground maze to search for a lost cat named Kitty. Children reflect on how the robots could find their way out, and the teacher leads a discussion about different strategies they could use – such as the left-hand rule, backtracking, or marking the path. This is followed by a hands-on activity, where students navigate a maze on a worksheet, collecting socks and trying to avoid sock-loving mice. During this activity, they experience the principles of learning from experience (trial-and-error methods). The teacher then explains that AI learns in a similar way – by repeating a task, receiving feedback, and improving its strategy. Students watch a video showing AI agents gradually improving their performance, and discuss how machines learn by being rewarded for successful steps. The lesson concludes with a reflection, where students share their strategies and talk about how robots might apply learned experience to new situations. If there’s time left, they try playing the game Hexapawn, which demonstrates how learning from experience works.