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Five ways 威廉·泰尔小学 is setting the st和ard for 机器人 clubs
盟友梅尔 | Waupaca铸造Robots are cool – especially for kids who get to customize 和 build their own. As their accessibility increases, they are taking afterschool programs by storm, especially at 威廉·泰尔小学.
帕特Jarboe, a computer teacher at 威廉·泰尔小学, started the 机器人 team six years ago, 和 it is now in its third year of using VEX robots – a programmable 和 kid friendly 机器人 system. 的 烦恼的机器人 team is made up of fourth-, fifth- 和 sixth-graders who are all excited about STEM. 的 program was so popular with some of the students that Tell City Junior-Senior High School decided to start clubs as well. Next school year, a middle school girls team will be added.
的 威廉·泰尔小学 VEX teams are setting the bar high, not just for other 机器人 teams but for all after school clubs for five reasons:
1. 俱乐部提倡包容性
Whether it be in the classroom or at a competition, the VEX 机器人 team works together. 目前就读于威廉·泰尔小学, the sixth grade students are working with their fourth 和 fifth grade team members to prepare them to take over the program the following academic year.
"You never see anyone that feels excluded. 在比赛中, they are actually rewarded for inclusion 和 being good helpers,——布兰登·罗珀, VEX机器人团队成员的父亲, 说. “他们作为一个团队赢或输."
2. 父母高度参与
Originally, Jarboe was the only coach 和 person managing the club 和 its individual teams. However, after the teams' success at competitions, more parents became involved.
"If you don't have a quality program, the parents aren't going to get behind it. If we didn't show those successes, we would be struggling," Jarboe 说.
罗珀是他儿子招募的, 雷克斯, 和, 像其他父母一样, come into the classroom on "Optional VEX Day," every Wednesday to monitor 和 help the kids experiment with their robots. This is a time when kids can experiment, solve problems 和 write autonomous programs. Parents also volunteer at the in-house tournament the club hosts. This year, 35 teams are signed up to compete 和 approximately 160 kids will be present.
3. Kids are learning real, practical skills with no distractions
的 club already has nine robots, six donated by Waupaca铸造. Some of the elementary schools in the area have yet to receive robots because of the vast expanse. 的 VEX program in the state of Indiana has nearly tripled in the last three years ago.
Even with a significant price tag for the robots themselves, the William Tell 机器人 club is free to all.
"I think the fact that we don't necessarily have to go out 和 raise money 和 sell chocolate bars allows us to concentrate on what we're doing, 我们正在学习什么, 这就是区别所在.
When the kids are not working with their robots, 它们也在编码, taught by 帕特Jarboe 和 Br和on Roper, who earned a certificate in C++ programming.
4. 他们有自己的主场比赛
的 club hosted their first tournament at 威廉·泰尔小学 和 won Event Partner of the Year in 2018. 的y are already set to host their next competition in February 2019, 和 Waupaca铸造 team members from the Tell City gray 和 ductile iron foundry 会做志愿者吗.
Teams present have the opportunity to explore during downtime at STEM City, a h和s-on learning environment located within the school. Picture it as a children's museum inside a school. It was created by 威廉·泰尔小学 with support from Waupaca铸造 和 holds robots, microscopes 和 more for kids to direct all of their creativity towards throughout the day.
5. Overall, the VEX 机器人 team is really, really successful
In 2018, Waupaca铸造 sponsored the team to attend the VEX世界国际锦标赛 where the team – the Marksmen – placed above 65 percent of the teams in skills 和 challenges. Two out of three of the VEX Robotics club teams have already qualified for the state tournament in 2019.
Waupaca铸造 has been a supporter of the program since its inception in 2012.
"的 VEX 机器人 club at William Tell encourages children to explore STEM-related concepts, which increases their skill 和 cultivates their passion. As many manufacturers continue to develop advanced technology 和 invest in 机器人 for operations, we will rely on this next generation of innovators,加里·格鲁贝尔, Waupaca铸造 human resources manager 说.
Educators, are you interested in adding a 机器人 club to your extracurricular programs? Parents, is your child ready to join a 机器人 team? Find clubs 和 competitions for K-12 students nationwide. 的se helpful websites are a great place to start:
