A dispatch from the 2024 VEX Robotics World Championship!

[Aimee_DeFoe]

Hello from Dallas, TX! I’ve spent the day talking to an amazing array of high school robotics team members and their coaches and parents. One of the things I wanted to find out was what qualities and problem solving strategies made their teams successful enough to make it all the way to Worlds. Over the course of the day, a couple of consistent ideas emerged.

Invariably, the teams mentioned sharing information and building networks of other teams that they could go to for support and ideas, and offer support in return. There were teams that formed online communities, as well as teams who hosted “league nights” of teams in their areas to test out strategies and learn from each other in person. Some teams mentioned mentoring other teams that were just getting started, as well as getting support and information from sister teams in their schools and organizations.

Viewing the sharing of information and ideas as a strength is an essential disposition not only in VEX Competition, but for solving the big problems facing this generation of students as they enter adulthood, and their generous attitudes were really quite inspirational.

Another consistent quality of successful teams were coaches and teachers who were extremely confident in their teams and allowed the students to have a great deal of autonomy over their learning. They all spoke of facilitating the students’ learning without getting in their way, recognizing the need to avoid capping the students’ growth. Again, the kids on these teams inspire so much confidence in the future, as they are persistently resourceful on multiple levels. They understand the need for iteration and are not daunted by it - the average number of robot redesigns by teams was five complete overhauls!

I’m looking forward to the next few days of competition and excitement, and learning more from these independent innovators!

[Aimee_DeFoe]

Day 2!

I talked with several more teams today, and here are a few things that stood out for me!

First of all, many successful teams had a definite problem solving process that they used to come to consensus on ideas for building, coding and strategy. For example, one team said that when working on the design for each component of their robot (intake, hang mechanism, drivetrain, etc.), they would each do their own research first, and come up with a design possibility. Then they would build and test their own prototype, which they would finally share with their teammates. They would present the data from testing their prototype, and use that data to decide which of the designs they would incorporate into their robot. Their very data-driven and deliberate process helped them make it all the way to Worlds, so it has certainly served them well. I can see this working for classroom competitions also.

Another team I talked to took the opposite approach. They assigned a component of their robot to a teammate, and each one worked on the design of only that particular component. This is a much more specialized way of engineering the robot, but it seems to have paid off!

I also asked teams to comment on how their robot design and strategy evolved over the course of the year. In talking to many different teams, it became apparent that as each team was evolving their thinking, they were part of a global trajectory of strategy evolution as well. Teams from around the world share ideas, and then they all try to improve on them. This is very similar to something you may have noticed in your classrooms - when one group of students has a breakthrough idea, other students are inspired by it, and take it an try to improve on it and make it their own. It is important that as STEM teachers, we allow and encourage this kind of collective development, as it benefits everyone, which is made clear by the students who reach this high level of competition.

I also spoke to a student that had a personal realization that ultimately helped his team succeed. He described having a very definite idea about an intake design that he was very committed to. He said that at first, despite the intake not being all that successful, he hung on to the idea and kept trying to make it work, for longer than he really should have. He admitted finally realizing that he was holding his team back, and that having this realization and allowing others to help with the intake was what ultimately made his team successful. This is a huge level of taking responsibility for a young person and a great growth experience for him and his team.

Overall, I am continually impressed by the level of interpersonal skills as well as persistence and planning all of the teams I’ve talked to display. These skills will take them far beyond VEX Worlds and into their futures!