李明娟

Engineering3 researchers4 at the University of Waterloo are using a robot tohelp keep children with learning disabilities focused on their work. In a newstudy， both the young students and their teachers thought the robot did play avery important role in class.

滑鐵盧大學(xué)的工程研究人員正在使用一個機器人來幫助有學(xué)習(xí)障礙的兒童專注于他們的學(xué)習(xí)。在一項新的研究中，年紀(jì)小的學(xué)生和他們的老師都認(rèn)為機器人在課堂上發(fā)揮了非常重要的作用。

Students with learning disabilities may get more help， such as one-on-oneteaching and the use of smartphones and tablets5. Teachers have tried to use thesocial6 robots to help students learn in these years. But most often， their study hasfocused on children with Autism Spectrum Disorder7. As a result， little workhas been done on the use of social robots for students with learning disabilities.

有學(xué)習(xí)障礙的學(xué)生可能會得到更多幫助，例如一對一教學(xué)以及使用智能手機和平板電腦。近年來，教師們試圖利用社交機器人來幫助學(xué)生學(xué)習(xí)。但大多數(shù)情況下，他們的研究都集中在患有自閉癥譜系障礙的兒童身上。因此，在為有學(xué)習(xí)障礙的學(xué)生使用社交機器人方面的工作做得很少。

Dr. Kerstin Dautenhahn has been working on robots for many years. Alongwith other researchers， Dr. Dautenhahn decided to make some changes and did afew of tests with a small robot called QT. The robot could make gestures8 using itshead and hands as well as language and face. It makes it very suitable9 for use withchildren with learning disabilities.

克斯廷·道騰翰博士多年來一直在研究機器人。道騰翰博士決定和其他研究人員一起改變這一點，并用一種名為QT 的小型機器人進(jìn)行了一些試驗。機器人可以用它的頭和手以及它的話語和表情做手勢。它非常適合有學(xué)習(xí)障礙的兒童使用。

There were two groups of 16 students with learning disabilities inthe tests. In one group， students worked one-on-one with a teacheronly. In the other group， the students worked one-on-one with a teacherand a QT robot. In the second group， the teacher used a tablet to direct10 the robot. It then started activities using words and gestures.The robot would set goals and teach the students useful learning ways.

在試驗中，16 名有學(xué)習(xí)障礙的學(xué)生分為兩組。在第一組中，學(xué)生只與教師進(jìn)行一對一的學(xué)習(xí)。在另一組中，學(xué)生與一名教師和一個QT 機器人進(jìn)行一對一的學(xué)習(xí)。在第二組中，教師用平板電腦指揮機器人。然后，它開始自己使用語言和手勢開展各種活動。機器人會設(shè)定目標(biāo)，并為學(xué)生提供有用的學(xué)習(xí)方法。

Dr. Dautenhahn said students working with the robot were more focused ontheir work. They could finish it more quickly than the students without the robot.More studies using the robot are planned.

道騰翰博士說，使用機器人的學(xué)生更專注于自己的學(xué)習(xí)。他們可以比不用機器人的學(xué)生更快完成學(xué)習(xí)任務(wù)。已有計劃使用該機器人進(jìn)行更多的研究。

Notes

1. disability 殘疾；缺陷；無能力；障礙

2. focused 專注的；目標(biāo)明確的；聚焦的；專心的

focus 集中；關(guān)注

3. engineering 工程；工程學(xué)

4. researcher 研究人員

5. tablet 平板電腦

6. social 社會的；社交的；交際的

7. Autism Spectrum Disorder 自閉癥譜系障礙

8. gesture 手勢；姿勢

9. suitable 適宜的；合適的

10. direct 管理；指揮