They got
involved building robots several years ago, not through the schools but through
a program at our local library. At the time Ava was seven and in second
grade while Kayla was 9 and in fourth grade.
Working in pairs
with kids of different ages they learned how to use Lego Mindstorm to build
robots they could program to complete tasks. My daughters loved coming up
with interesting and sometimes crazy engineering that enabled their robots to
push levers, shoot hoops and open doors on a tabletop course. They used
programming language to tell the robots what to do, working together to refine
their programs until the robots did exactly what they had intended.
I can't tell you
what a rush of excitement they got from building and programming robots, or how
happy it made me as a parent to know they were embracing critical skills they
would need to be 21st century creators and thought leaders all while having
fun, it was a triple threat!
This year they
were ready to enter the First Lego League Robotics Competition. There
were also two teams forming at our Middle School, one for six graders and
another for seventh. After exploring both the library and middle school
options my older daughter decided, along with two other six graders, one boy
and one girl, to join the library team. When I asked her why, she said
the school team was all boys and she wouldn't get a chance to have her ideas
heard. That really resonated with me.
56% of girls who
go into programming leave their jobs after 10 years.
I found her
answer intriguing. Statistics have shown that it's not the capacity to do the
work but the environment in which the work is being done that makes female
programmers abandon their posts. This is important because girls as well
as boys need to be encouraged to take on positions that will shape the future
use of technology, to create inventions we can't even imagine yet. Think
of all the ideas that would be lost, talent that would be wasted, if girls
weren't given an equal opportunity and encouraged to enter and stay in these
fields.
The other thing
that intrigued me about the team was the mixed age group.
Unlike the
school, the library team included kids ages 9-14. This brought an
interesting perspective to the group as the children were focused on different
learning modules and different types of play. It was a ten year old who
came up with the world problem solution the team was judged on and showed the
older kids how to use Scratch to create a learning game to make student's
better programmers. He also showed them how to build a controller out of tacks,
cardboard and wire. It was pretty amazing.
So what's the
point?
The point is
that as educators you can't be boxed in by age, grade or gender when exploring
ways to help students acquire critical collaborative skills in key
technological areas like programming and robotics. And the younger you
start children learning these skills, the better. If instruction time is
limited create a club, if resources are the problem enlist the help of your
local library, boy and girl scouts or look for local donors. Parents can
form homeschooling groups to help their children gain the critical skills they
need while having fun. All you need is a few building kits, a computer,
imagination and some commitment.
My daughter's
team went on to win an award for the best mechanical design of a robot by using
sensors in its construction. They placed in the upper tier over all and
were judged on their design, robot's performance, world problem solution, their
teamwork and attitude. Going to the competition, seeing what other kids
had made and working together made them eager for more.
The skills they
have gained will stay with them and make them more apt to lead and get their
thoughts heard when they leave school. It sparked their imagination, inspired
them to discover new ideas and acquire new skills by working on solving real
life problems with other children. They made friends and had fun. Isn't
that what learning is really all about anyway?
Laura Hill is an
author and speaker who works with children and adults to get 21-century skills
into their hands and great ideas into the world. As president of her
local library board she has been instrumental in helping libraries and school
find niches that bring maker space learning environments to their communities.
