2011 Coach/Mentor Workshop Kevin Reed kevin.reed@firstwa.org FIRST LEGO LEAGUE
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Summary • FIRST • FLL • Coaching • Tournament Day • Resources • Not much on the challenge or project topic Two hours (usually less)
What is FIRST? “… to create a world where science and technology are celebrated…where young people dream of becoming science and technology heroes.” Dean Kamen, Founder, FIRST • F.I.R.S.T. (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an international organization with a mission of promoting interest in science and technology. • Our goal is to encourage students to consider careers in engineering and science.
FIRST Programs • 501 (c) (3) Non-profit organization • Founded 1989, by inventor Dean Kamen • International HQ in Manchester, NH • 85,000 volunteers • 3,000+ sponsoring companies
FIRST Family FIRST Robotics Competition Jr. FIRST LEGO League FIRST Tech Challenge FIRST LEGO League K 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
What is FIRSTWA.ORG? • We are a small group of enthusiastic volunteers who organize and promote all FIRST programs: • FIRST Junior LEGO League • FIRST LEGO League • FIRST Tech Challenge • FIRST Robotics Competition • A division of the Seattle Robotics Association • The SRA is a 501c(3) non-profit corporation • 100% volunteer effort • www.firstwa.org
Engineering process • Define problem • Brainstorm solutions and select one • Keep it simple • Plan and create a flowchart and take measurements
Tips • Divide program into small steps- use comment boxes • Program one step at a time • Action should be consistently repeatable (3x in a row) • Use my blocks (saves memory) • Pick a simple mission first that is close to base.
FLL Overview • FLL Core Values • Coach Promise • The Timeline
FLL Core ValuesCoach Manual, Page 1 • We are a team. • We do the work to find solutions with guidance from our coaches and mentors. • We know our coaches and mentors don’t have all the answers; we learn together. • We honor the spirit of friendly competition. • What we discover is more important than what we win • We share our experiences with others. • We display Gracious Professionalism™ and Coopertition™ in everything we do. • We have fun.
Gracious Professionalism • Respect your team members at all times • Respect others as demonstrated by your actions • Recognize that friendly competition and mutual gain are possible on and off the field • Make a valued contribution with special knowledge that society entrusts us to use responsibly Woodie Flowers, FIRST co-founder and MIT professor
Coopertition • Friendly competition • Help other teams • Handle stress with grace
Team Identity • Team name • Team logo
FLL Season Timeline • Mid-May thru Mid-Sept • Team formation and registration • Early September • The challenge is released • Mid-end of September • Registration closes • Sept-Oct-Nov • Teams work on the robot and project • December (first weekend) • 10+ Local Qualifying Events • January • State Tournament • Mid April • FLL World Festival • FLL Regional Open
Team Mission Your FLL team is expected to: • Explore the challenge theme in depth • Share the fun of team based technical problem solving • Get exposure to technical and professional career paths senior solutions
Team Tasks Your FLL team will spend 8-12 weeks working on: Project Project research, presentation preparation, practicing Robot Game Robot design, programming,construction, and testing Core Values Learning FLL Core Values, team building, and organizing
Team Mechanics • Teamwork • Working together to do a complex task • Risk taking • There is personal risk in being creative • Experimentation • Learning by trying • Dealing with failure effectively • Learning by failing and recovering
Evaluation of your Team • During the regional qualifiers, your team is evaluated on the three primary elements: • Project Presentation • Robot Design and Construction • Core Values (formerly Teamwork) • Evaluations are subjective and are done by a panel of volunteer judges • Awards are assigned by the judging panels • Judges use rubrics: READ THEM! http://firstlegoleague.org/event/judging
Evaluation of your Team: Awards
Project Presentation • Your team must: • Select a problem related to the topic • Create a solution • Share it with the community • Present a summary of the project to the judges that tells the story and demonstrates your team research results • Presentation format is up to your team. Use humor, skits, and other engaging elements to tell your story. Examples include newscasts, plays and songs • Watch presentation examples on the coach DVD and online.
Project Presentation Judging • Live performance for the judges • Practice, Practice, Practice • Video tape practice sessions • Honest critical feedback • Beware audio/visual equipment and setup time • Your team is evaluated against a rubric http://firstlegoleague.org/event/judging
Project Presentation Judging
Robot Design • Your team must: • Create a strategy to maximize points in 2.5 minutes • Build a robot that interacts with mission pieces • Program the robot to accomplish missions • The robot is judged for its design quality • The robot ALSO gains the team points during the mission competition • There are hundreds of NXT tutorials online. Check FLL Team Resources and FIRSTWA FAQ
Robot Design Judging • Your team is interviewed by a judging panel to discuss the design and construction of their robot. • This is an interactive interview, we don’t expect a formal presentation • Your team is evaluated against a rubric http://firstlegoleague.org/event/judging
Robot Design Judging
Core Values Judging • New this year are formal judging sessions for Core Values (formerly called Teamwork). • The judges are evaluating your team with an activity during the Project session. • The judges are also observing your team at random times during the day. • Input from referees, volunteers and other teams IS accepted!
The Champions Award • The most prestigious award goes to the team who demonstrates core values and highest achievement in all categories: • Project Presentation • Robot Design • Teamwork • Robot Performance
Tournament Day • Regional Qualifiers • 8am to 5pm • Three main activities for teams • Pit area and practice tables • Technical, Presentation and Core Values Judging • Robot Contest • Award Ceremony mid afternoon • State Championship January 14th, 2012 (Sat)
What to Bring to the Tournament • Team Information Sheet • Three copies, one for each judge panel • Consent and Release form • One for each student and adult • Extra robot batteries and charger (if rechargeable) • Laptop computer for program changes • Food, drinks and snacks (unless otherwise noted) • Extension cord and power strip • Field setup kit pieces and mat (to share with organizers if needed)
Pit Area and Practice Tables • The Pit is where we come to find your team for all activities. • Each team has a single table • Practice rounds and final tune-up of robots is common
Judging: Morning • Technical, Presentation, and Core Values judging starts in the morning before the contest. A schedule for each team is posted on contest day. • Teams are retrieved from their pit table and returned by volunteer runners.
Robot Contest: Afternoon • The contest is held in a main gym or large area • There are 3 rounds of robot contest • Best single score determines winner • Teams are retrieved by runners, and queued up to 3 matches early • Teams are returned to the pits after the match
Award Ceremony • Awards are presented at the end of the tournament • Only one judged award per team • Robot Performance is a separate award and is • based only on score • Robot performance is the only award a team can win in addition to a judged award
Advancing to Championships • Two Championship tournaments in Washington • East and West • Five teams from each regional go to Championships • Championship teams chosen by judges • Top teams in each of the three categories • Weighted to teams with great Core Values • Performance Alternate is given when a team wins Robot Performance award AND another judged award that sends them to the championships
Resources for Coaches • Much help is available online for you • wafll@yahoogroups.com is our email list • www.firstwa.org has information related specifically to our WA State program • www.usfirst.org is the international FIRST website and links to everything related to FLL • www.legoeducation.us is the U.S. LEGO Education site that has NXT parts and other stuff for LEGO robots
High Tech Kids • Minnesota has a very well developed FLL community. They have spent tons of time producing fantastic online help for you. www.hightechkids.org • FLL Training Downloads http://www.hightechkids.org/for-teams/coaches-library
