Giving directions: forward and turn
Computer Science · Early Years · The School
Being the robot
Play a game. One person gives directions. The other person is the ROBOT, and follows them exactly. Say "forward". The robot takes one step forward. Say "turn left". The robot turns left, on the spot. Nothing more, nothing less. It never guesses what you meant. Take turns. Being the robot is harder than it looks.
Only using words
No pointing allowed in this game. Only words. It is harder than it sounds. "Forward" is clear. "That way" is not. Notice which words work, and which ones leave your robot friend confused, unsure which way to go. Short, exact words work best of all. Try to use as few words as you can.
Fixing it when it goes wrong
If your robot ends up in the wrong place, do not just try again from scratch. Go back through your directions, one at a time. Find the exact step that was unclear, or missing. Fix just that one step. Then try the whole thing again.
Give these directions, one at a time: "forward, forward, turn right, forward, stop." Your robot friend follows each one exactly. They end up facing the wrong wall, not the chair at all. Go back through the directions together. "Turn right" was the problem — it should have said "turn left". Fix that one word. Try the whole sequence again. This time, your robot walks straight to the chair and stops.