Of Robotics And Humanics

Using technology, Chantel Botha aims to develop better human beings for a kinder world.

- Tiana Cline

ARE TEACHERS IN THE South African education system upskilled enough to be up-to-date with technological advancements? The lack of funding to invest in this has always been a concern.

But not everyone sees this as an impediment. Backed by a degree in computer science and inspiration sparked by a session at the SingularityU Johannesburg Summit, mom-of-three Chantel Botha decided to teach herself LEGO Mindstorms EV, We Do and LEGO Boost. The next step was setting up and conducting a three-hour Saturday morning robotics class for 10 children, including her own.

“Most of my children’s access to technology is unstructured and in the form of gaming apps. These have a place, but for me, they mostly fall into the category of entertainment rather than problem-solving,” says Botha.

She started using LEGO Serious Play, a globally-used facilitation method created by The LEGO Group in 2010, almost three years ago in the corporate space. She studied to become a LEGO Serious Play facilitator in Billing, Denmark, and uses it for design thinking to solve product and service-related inefficiencies in her workshops.