to pursue STEM-related careers while building self- confi dence, knowledge and life skills. FIRST Robotics strives to create a world where students desire to become science, engineering, and technology leaders (First vision). Science class teaches students about science. Math
class teaches students about mathematics. By combining science and math, FIRST Robotics integrates what students already have learned in these classes and teaches them how to apply that knowledge in an afterschool setting. “When you’re learning in the classroom, you’re learning these mathematical formulas over here and scientifi c theorems over there and it never really comes together,” Kyle Gulshen, a junior at Camdenton R-III High School, Camdenton, Missouri and lead programmer of the FIRST Robotics team, explains. “So, with FIRST you get to work on all these different aspects all at once and a single, real world problem” (Steingrubey, 2011). Although the robot that the students build will
compete against other robots, FIRST Robotics is much more than just about building a robot. The FIRST team is broken up into different segments of a business-like environment. The students decide which portion of the business they want to participate in based upon their own interests. All the students then work together on their own portion of the business model. FIRST Robotics challenges students to raise funds, design a team brand and hone teamwork skills (Wheeler, 2011). FIRST Robotics teaches students how to apply what
they have learned in the classroom to real world problems. In the afterschool setting, the students are teamed with mentors from the community who volunteer their time to show the students how to apply what the students have learned in school. While in the classroom, many students ask the age-old question, “When will I ever use this?” FIRST Robotics answers that question by teaching students how to apply mechanics, force and motion, and computer programming to solve everyday problems. Eighty-nine percent of FIRST students indicate that they have a better understanding of the role of science and technology in everyday life (Melchior, Cohen, Cutter & Leavitt, 2005). In our competitive world, competing companies rarely
volunteer to help each other. FIRST Robotics teaches a much different lesson. The main themes of FIRST are gracious professionalism™ and “coopertition”™. Gracious professionalism encourages high-quality work, but emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. The second theme, coopertition,
February 28th 2013
is a philosophy that FIRST teams can and should help and cooperate with each other even as they compete against each other (First values). During FIRST Robotics competitions, teams loan tools, technical expertise and parts to one another even though they will be competing against each other. FIRST Robotics teams openly share design ideas and how to overcome technical challenges with other teams. Winning is a goal at FIRST Robotics, but it is not everything. It is more important to help other teams win as well. During competitions, opposing robots will turn over an upside-down opponent all in the name of gracious professionalism. With the companies competing on a global scale,
teamwork is more important now than ever. The students participating in FIRST Robotics learn the importance of teamwork. Every person has a job on the robotics team that is crucial to the success of the team. Whether the student works on design, fabrication or programming of the robot, Web page design, game fi eld construction, or brochure construction to get the word out about FIRST Robotics, the success of the entire team depends on them. Ninety- fi ve percent of FIRST students say that FIRST Robotics has given them a better understanding of the importance of teamwork (Melchior, Cohen, Cutter & Leavitt, 2005). FIRST Robotics teaches the students about
responsibility. Eighty-nine percent of FIRST students say they had real responsibilities and 74 percent indicated that students made the important decisions (Melchior, Cohen, Cutter & Leavitt, 2005). With the success of the entire team riding on the shoulders of each team member, the students of FIRST Robotics willingly give up their Saturdays to ensure the success of the team. The students learn very early the importance of time management as during the build season, students regularly log 20 to 40 hours a week working on the robot in the afterschool setting. This
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www.electronicsproductionworld.com EIU 15
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