After the crisis meeting, the coaches were still on strike, and the kids didn't mind one little bit. Accordingly, they had the next three meetings on their own: none of us coaches paid any attention to them at all. Once in a while, I'd stick my head in and ask if they wanted any help in setting direction or keeping on task. The reply was always a resounding NO.
I'd like to report that they made incredible progress in this span of time. Unfortunately they didn't.
However, they did develop enough humility that when I helped them set the agenda for the next meeting, they didn't object. When the meeting ended, they had allowed Chaz and me to remain in the meeting and ask them the questions that would keep them moving forward.
By this point I had them running time trials at the beginning and end of every meeting. I announced the pairings, and they didn't balk. I announced that the pair with the best record in practices would get 2 out of 3 guaranteed runs at the tournament. And they didn't argue with that either. They simply sat down and started figuring out how to improve their scores.
Of course, one week before the tournament, and all sorts of technical problems started emerging. Putting the programs into the program manager
Monique (our project coach) never did return to meetings, although she helped out behind the scenes as the kids reworked major parts of their research presentation. Two of the boys had vastly different opinions on the introductory sequence, and this was hashed out during several phone calls.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Thursday, October 26, 2006
The Crisis Meeting: October 24
Knowing that time is getting tight, and motivation was high, this was scheduled to be a double-meeting. We planned to work on robotics in the morning, looking at all the things that need to come together for the tournament such as the interviews, the pit display, programming the missions into a single integrated program, and making sure the attachments for various missions can all work together on the robot.
Having a longer meeting? That was a really bad idea.
Trying to get the kids to focus on all the non-robot aspects of the tournament? That was an even worse idea.
They were totally not engaged, not interested, not focused, and disrespectful. Sure, some interesting ideas came out, and sure, they determined their areas of responsibility for the tournament and yes, they figured out an order for the missions and how the attachments can work together. But it was like pulling teeth and it came at the cost of the team's spirit.
The project half of the meeting, in the afternoon, was cut short abruptly when yelling erupted and the idea of continuing seemed hopeless. The project coach basically said she will now be there only as a resource for them, but they will have to show the initiative and decide what needs to be done for the tournament, and what they need from her to help them get there. She has tired of offering direction and advice when it is dismissed so rudely.
I don't blame her a bit, and I feel the same way. It's hard to feel that it's worth your while when the kids are making faces and turning somersaults during the meetings.
What's gone wrong? We don't know. The same kids are focused and engaged in many other group activities throughout the week, and all of them have said that robotics is the most fun of all these activities. Part of the challenge is the stressful nature of what it involves - accomplishing such difficult challenges under pressure of time. Part of it is perhaps how the emotions come out when kids take ownership of ideas and then have to let go of them as the ideas evolve. Part of it is surely having the kids' own parents as their coaches, particularly when those parents bring such high intensity of their own. Yet another factor is the history of having done so well as a rookie team last year, and feeling like they can't live up to that. Maybe it's also because it's not new any more, so this year perhaps it feels a bit more like work?
Whatever the causes, this is the situation we have to deal with for the rest of the season. As coach, I have to take responsibility for how things have gone, but I also have to move forward toward the tournament. We all have made a commitment to each other, and me most of all, since I have committed to the kids that the team will compete at the November 18th tournament.
We'll see what attitude the kids bring to the next meeting, and whether I am capable of getting positive, forward-moving energy out of them.
Having a longer meeting? That was a really bad idea.
Trying to get the kids to focus on all the non-robot aspects of the tournament? That was an even worse idea.
They were totally not engaged, not interested, not focused, and disrespectful. Sure, some interesting ideas came out, and sure, they determined their areas of responsibility for the tournament and yes, they figured out an order for the missions and how the attachments can work together. But it was like pulling teeth and it came at the cost of the team's spirit.
The project half of the meeting, in the afternoon, was cut short abruptly when yelling erupted and the idea of continuing seemed hopeless. The project coach basically said she will now be there only as a resource for them, but they will have to show the initiative and decide what needs to be done for the tournament, and what they need from her to help them get there. She has tired of offering direction and advice when it is dismissed so rudely.
I don't blame her a bit, and I feel the same way. It's hard to feel that it's worth your while when the kids are making faces and turning somersaults during the meetings.
What's gone wrong? We don't know. The same kids are focused and engaged in many other group activities throughout the week, and all of them have said that robotics is the most fun of all these activities. Part of the challenge is the stressful nature of what it involves - accomplishing such difficult challenges under pressure of time. Part of it is perhaps how the emotions come out when kids take ownership of ideas and then have to let go of them as the ideas evolve. Part of it is surely having the kids' own parents as their coaches, particularly when those parents bring such high intensity of their own. Yet another factor is the history of having done so well as a rookie team last year, and feeling like they can't live up to that. Maybe it's also because it's not new any more, so this year perhaps it feels a bit more like work?
Whatever the causes, this is the situation we have to deal with for the rest of the season. As coach, I have to take responsibility for how things have gone, but I also have to move forward toward the tournament. We all have made a commitment to each other, and me most of all, since I have committed to the kids that the team will compete at the November 18th tournament.
We'll see what attitude the kids bring to the next meeting, and whether I am capable of getting positive, forward-moving energy out of them.
Week 7: October 13 and 17
These meetings seemed to build on the momentum of the breakthrough meeting, although there were certainly moments of high emotion and lack of focus.
Some challenges are emerging as they try to integrate the missions, and they discover that clever attachments aren't compatible with the alignment jigs or other attachments. Being kids, they still expect their first solution to be the final one, and it always brings out the emotions when someone realizes that after hours of hard work, yet more hours are still required.
They currently have solutions for the cable testing truck, the pizza molecules, and placing the dirt trap. The stuck nanotip was solved by team members who took the model home and worked on it between meetings. Another team member has developed a solution for the buckyball/bone, but the team still needs to navigate the robot into position.
Three missions at the far end -- unstainable fabric, molecular motor, and self-assembly -- are all so close yet so far, as all the ideas to navigate to those missions are proving more difficult than they had expected. One determined team member keeps on working toward this goal between meetings, and he seems to be getting closer, but they're still not there.
Some challenges are emerging as they try to integrate the missions, and they discover that clever attachments aren't compatible with the alignment jigs or other attachments. Being kids, they still expect their first solution to be the final one, and it always brings out the emotions when someone realizes that after hours of hard work, yet more hours are still required.
They currently have solutions for the cable testing truck, the pizza molecules, and placing the dirt trap. The stuck nanotip was solved by team members who took the model home and worked on it between meetings. Another team member has developed a solution for the buckyball/bone, but the team still needs to navigate the robot into position.
Three missions at the far end -- unstainable fabric, molecular motor, and self-assembly -- are all so close yet so far, as all the ideas to navigate to those missions are proving more difficult than they had expected. One determined team member keeps on working toward this goal between meetings, and he seems to be getting closer, but they're still not there.
Thursday, October 12, 2006
The Breakthrough Meeting: October 10
By the time we reached our tournament last year, I was able to look back at the previous 2 months and pinpoint the meeting where the tide turned -- on that day, the kids suddenly felt like they were making progress, the technical learning was all coming together, and the team personality took over from the individual personalities. The frustrations of the previous weeks seemed like they had all been so many bumps in the road, rather than overwhelming mountains in their path.
During the October 10 meeting this year, I felt that same sense of the tide turning. We sat down with the calendar to see how much time has elapsed, and how much time is left. The kids listed the things they still want to get done, and came up with a list that includes:
solve a couple more missions
increase consistency on the current missions
figure out how to sequence the missions and practice running them
decide which pairs will run the robot in competition
develop print-outs or spec sheets for the technical interview
improve their attachments and jigs
practice questions for their interviews
write the project script
develop visual aids and props
do some practice presentations for friends
practice practice practice
For the first time, they seemed to take the idea of strategic thinking to heart, and asked about the bonus points for scoring points in multiple missions. This gave them more incentive to continue working hard on improving ideas that are so far unreliable and inconsistent.
Two of the kids set off to think about sequencing the missions. They came up with a new idea to split one of the missions into two parts. They plan to bring the Pizza Molecules to base in one outing, and deliver them to their destination in a different, later outing, leaving the middle of the mat clear for the robot to traverse. The builder spent the hour working on attachments and alignment jigs - this is the first time the team is willing to consider alignment jigs and they are finding it particularly challenging. A third activity in the room saw another kid continuing to work with sensors to navigate his way down the mat.
By the end of the meeting, it didn't seem like they were much farther along, but they seemed to be more motivated. They have three missions which seem quite solid, as long as they can fine-tune the alignment jigs, attachments and programming to work together smoothly. Three others are being worked on, and a couple of kids are taking the Nanotip mission model to work on at home.
They made similar progress during the project half of the meeting, where they came up with a good idea for their skit that can involve the judges just a little, in a fun way. They will set it up as a break-out session at a conference, pulling their chairs up to the judges to include them as colleagues in this "meeting".
Just like last year at this time, I feel that they need to spend more time refining their innovation scientifically, but the reality is that they are sick of researching and they need to move into the creative side of things and start giving their presentation form. As they write the script, they may discover for themselves where they need to do additional research.
During the October 10 meeting this year, I felt that same sense of the tide turning. We sat down with the calendar to see how much time has elapsed, and how much time is left. The kids listed the things they still want to get done, and came up with a list that includes:
For the first time, they seemed to take the idea of strategic thinking to heart, and asked about the bonus points for scoring points in multiple missions. This gave them more incentive to continue working hard on improving ideas that are so far unreliable and inconsistent.
Two of the kids set off to think about sequencing the missions. They came up with a new idea to split one of the missions into two parts. They plan to bring the Pizza Molecules to base in one outing, and deliver them to their destination in a different, later outing, leaving the middle of the mat clear for the robot to traverse. The builder spent the hour working on attachments and alignment jigs - this is the first time the team is willing to consider alignment jigs and they are finding it particularly challenging. A third activity in the room saw another kid continuing to work with sensors to navigate his way down the mat.
By the end of the meeting, it didn't seem like they were much farther along, but they seemed to be more motivated. They have three missions which seem quite solid, as long as they can fine-tune the alignment jigs, attachments and programming to work together smoothly. Three others are being worked on, and a couple of kids are taking the Nanotip mission model to work on at home.
They made similar progress during the project half of the meeting, where they came up with a good idea for their skit that can involve the judges just a little, in a fun way. They will set it up as a break-out session at a conference, pulling their chairs up to the judges to include them as colleagues in this "meeting".
Just like last year at this time, I feel that they need to spend more time refining their innovation scientifically, but the reality is that they are sick of researching and they need to move into the creative side of things and start giving their presentation form. As they write the script, they may discover for themselves where they need to do additional research.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Week 5: October 3
This was the only meeting this week, and the 2-1/2 hours were divided between the project and robotics.
Since the kids have had trouble focusing on the robotics after the project, we decided to start with robotics today and see if that helped their focus. It didn't seem to; they just don't seem to have much "fire in the belly". There are also some personality conflicts emerging, and it's difficult to pair the kids off to work efficiently. Clearly a new approach is in order, something for me to think about.
Even though the time on robotics was short, they still managed to forge ahead to get a third mission nearly solved (the Pizza Molecules), start looking at another mission (the Dirt Trap), try out a couple of strategies to travel the length of the mat, and start working on an alignment jig (although they are not all convinced that is a good idea.)
After a break they switched gears and Monique worked with them on the research project. They each had new information to share, and together they worked to identify the many areas where they need to do more research. They want their proposal to be at least somewhat plausible, but they are still struggling with the complexity of the topic. My main concern is for them to keep their project focused, and draw a clear connection between the issue, their invention, and the underlying science.
Since the kids have had trouble focusing on the robotics after the project, we decided to start with robotics today and see if that helped their focus. It didn't seem to; they just don't seem to have much "fire in the belly". There are also some personality conflicts emerging, and it's difficult to pair the kids off to work efficiently. Clearly a new approach is in order, something for me to think about.
Even though the time on robotics was short, they still managed to forge ahead to get a third mission nearly solved (the Pizza Molecules), start looking at another mission (the Dirt Trap), try out a couple of strategies to travel the length of the mat, and start working on an alignment jig (although they are not all convinced that is a good idea.)
After a break they switched gears and Monique worked with them on the research project. They each had new information to share, and together they worked to identify the many areas where they need to do more research. They want their proposal to be at least somewhat plausible, but they are still struggling with the complexity of the topic. My main concern is for them to keep their project focused, and draw a clear connection between the issue, their invention, and the underlying science.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Week 4: September 26 and September 29
We had scheduled two meetings for this week, and decided that it would be best to focus on the robotics during meeting time while the kids forged ahead with their project research independently.
First, the team looked at possible ways to combine missions. This is new to them because last year, as a rookie team, we considered it a success to have developed a solution to a single mission by mid-October!
In looking at the challenge mat they considered various factors:
- which missions are similar
- which missions are close together on the mat
- how missions can be broken apart to be solved in two steps rather than all at once
- which missions should be solved in a particular order.
Since they didn't analyze the challenge this way for Ocean Odyssey, they quickly discovered how many factors they should consider, and how many different opinions they had! The pizza molecules are a good example: three of the kids thought it should be done last so the molecules don't get in the way of other missions; one kid thought they should do them first to get them done, and not bother attempting any missions that might move the molecules out of position!
Then they moved on to developing solutions for the chosen missions. At times, we coaches had to work hard to get them focused on solutions rather than wasting time and breath defending their positions. If only they could somehow see how much time and energy they waste in this way!
In any case, one pair has developed a workable solution for one mission, the Cable Tester. They are now working on a second mission (the Pizza Molecules) that can be attempted with the same robot configuration. The other pair of kids has done work on one of the "delivery" missions", the Molecular Motor, using a mechanical solution that does not require the third motor. Their delivery mechanism works well, but it is proving difficult to navigate to the right position.
They have discovered that the robot performs more reliably when it gets better traction. They considered using different wheels but decided to try the weight bricks instead. Most of the team agreed that the weight bricks were a good solution, for now at least.
At one point, the whole group took a break to talk about navigation. We reminded them to think of each mission as two tasks - getting there, and completing the mission. They looked at various navigation strategies and agreed they need to work on ways of getting to the far end of the mat reliably. They are considering following lines, counting lines, orienting against the bumpers at the far end, and pointing the robot and hoping it goes straight. Obviously they need to keep testing these strategies next week.
First, the team looked at possible ways to combine missions. This is new to them because last year, as a rookie team, we considered it a success to have developed a solution to a single mission by mid-October!
In looking at the challenge mat they considered various factors:
- which missions are similar
- which missions are close together on the mat
- how missions can be broken apart to be solved in two steps rather than all at once
- which missions should be solved in a particular order.
Since they didn't analyze the challenge this way for Ocean Odyssey, they quickly discovered how many factors they should consider, and how many different opinions they had! The pizza molecules are a good example: three of the kids thought it should be done last so the molecules don't get in the way of other missions; one kid thought they should do them first to get them done, and not bother attempting any missions that might move the molecules out of position!
Then they moved on to developing solutions for the chosen missions. At times, we coaches had to work hard to get them focused on solutions rather than wasting time and breath defending their positions. If only they could somehow see how much time and energy they waste in this way!
In any case, one pair has developed a workable solution for one mission, the Cable Tester. They are now working on a second mission (the Pizza Molecules) that can be attempted with the same robot configuration. The other pair of kids has done work on one of the "delivery" missions", the Molecular Motor, using a mechanical solution that does not require the third motor. Their delivery mechanism works well, but it is proving difficult to navigate to the right position.
They have discovered that the robot performs more reliably when it gets better traction. They considered using different wheels but decided to try the weight bricks instead. Most of the team agreed that the weight bricks were a good solution, for now at least.
At one point, the whole group took a break to talk about navigation. We reminded them to think of each mission as two tasks - getting there, and completing the mission. They looked at various navigation strategies and agreed they need to work on ways of getting to the far end of the mat reliably. They are considering following lines, counting lines, orienting against the bumpers at the far end, and pointing the robot and hoping it goes straight. Obviously they need to keep testing these strategies next week.
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