Thinking Like Engineers, Dreaming Like Innovators: Acera School’s Journey with Arduino Alvik Robot
If you joined us for our recent Arduino Days, you may have seen teacher Alison Earnhart share how students at Acera School are exploring coding and engineering with the support of Alvik.
Missed the live stream? Don’t worry! Alison’s story was so inspiring that we just had to share it with you!
A collaborative approach to innovation
Acera School, a K-8 institution for gifted learners in the Greater Boston area, is known for its dynamic approach to education. Partnering with companies and universities, Acera helps test new technologies and explore innovative curriculum ideas… including our very own Arduino Education kits!
During the second of our action-packed Arduino Days, Alison explained how her students have been putting the Arduino Alvik robot through its paces by tackling a range of engineering and coding challenges.
Beyond coding: building essential life skills
Working their way through Alvik’s block coding lessons, Alison says students have enjoyed tackling a range of engaging projects – from making planets orbit the sun to learning about geometry. For example, they experimented with attaching markers to their Alvik robots so they could code them to drive around and create different shapes and patterns.
As an experienced STEM teacher, Alison constantly seeks dynamic teaching methods for her students. Starting with basic shapes like triangles and rectangles from the provided content, she knew her students were eager to explore more. Once they mastered the basics, Alison took things to the next level, challenging them to program Alvik so its wheels could draw a perfect spiral. By adjusting the program, they created even more unexpected shapes.
However, working with hands-on tools like Alvik isn’t just about teaching kids how to code – it’s about giving them the skills they need to thrive in the future. During Arduino Days 2025, Alison discussed how Alvik is helping her students to develop key life skills such as:
- Problem-solving and resilience – learning to troubleshoot and iterate instead of giving up.
- Critical and creative thinking – exploring multiple ways to approach a problem.
- Mathematical and logical reasoning – understanding how patterns, sequences, and algorithms work.
- A design and invention mindset – encouraging students to tinker, test, and refine their ideas.
The results speak for themselves. Students at Acera are now tackling setbacks with curiosity instead of frustration. And they no longer see bugs in their code as failures but as exciting opportunities to investigate, adjust, and improve.
Thinking like engineers, dreaming like innovators
For Alison, one of the best things about using Alvik in the classroom has been watching students start thinking like real engineers. “They’re discovering that there’s always more than one way to code something and they love experimenting to find the best solution,” she says.
The excitement doesn't end when students complete a challenge or solve a problem. Once they grasp the basics, their curiosity pushes them further. "They’re always asking, 'What else can I do?' and 'What’s the next step?'" says Alison. "Failure" and "bugs" are just part of the process – students don't see them as obstacles but as problems that require more thinking and practice to overcome.
As a result, the classroom is buzzing with energy, creativity, and an insatiable thirst for learning. With the support of Alison and Arduino Alvik, kids are now thinking creatively about coding and, most importantly, having heaps of fun in the process!
Ready to introduce Arduino Alvik into your classroom? Find out more here.