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Overcast Preparing for the future
Franklin Square teachers attend seminar on robotics design and construction
Competition on the ball field is quickly being replaced by competition in the science lab as middle school students are becoming more involved with engineering and designing functioning machines various robotics competitions.
The scientists of tomorrow are able to use the skills they learn in school, specifically in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields and use their creations to compete against other teams in a series of obstacles to crown a champion at the Adelphi Annual Robotics Competition in May.
To prepare for the competition, twenty teachers and advisors from eight local area schools took part in a six-hour hands on seminar at Adelphi on Dec. 4 to learn the intricacies of LEGO robotic design, including construction, programming, coding, and problem solving. Joseph Reid, a former robotics team advisor and his colleague Sabita Nayak, director for Science Advancement Programs at Adelphi, hosted the training session.
“It’s refreshing to be with all educators who are trying something new and innovative and willing to exchange ideas,” said Washington Street School sixth-grade advanced learning teacher Maggie Tittler. “Here we’re all talking about something that’s inspirational and something to get kids passionate about a growing concept.”
Each team is broken into two units, a design team and a floor team. The floor team operates the machine during the course and is comprised of four to six students. The design team can be larger and is tasked with making tweaks to the machine in the event that the maneuvers are not being completed correctly.
The course that the students must contend with is comprised of a series of balls placed throughout the playing field. The student-operated machines must pick-up as many balls as possible and transport them to a basket. The team with the most balls in the basket in under two minutes wins.
The Franklin Square School District is introducing STEM lessons this year, with Tittler and her colleague, fellow sixth-grade teacher Marie Wicks, teaching the class.
