FIRST® LEGO® League: Starting a Competitive Team Steve Coxon Assistant professor of gifted education Director of graduate programs in gifted education Maryville University

“The sport of the mind” Consider it a fall season sport.

In 2006, there were 56 tournaments 7,460 teams 60,000 children worldwide 12 tournaments outside of the U.S.

In 2011, there were 539 tournaments 17,100 teams 171,000 children worldwide Tournaments over 50 countries

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Why competition? using higher order thinking working on challenging tasks creating products with unrestricted levels of excellence working in groups of ability-peers * mentorships open-ended problems * all work done by students * increased creativity improved self-concept aid in talent development higher goal-setting * increased motivation nurturance of a healthy self-concept coping with subjectivity opportunities to meet scholarly role models *no ceiling for excellence *engage students who typically underachieve McCoach, & Siegle, 2008; Omdal & Richards, 2008; Ozturk & Debelak, 2008

The Center for Youth and Communities (CYC) at Brandeis University found that 94% or more of all students participating in FLL had increases in the following areas: Interest in science and technology Programming skills Understanding of how science and technology can solve real world problems Problem-solving skills Teamwork skills Leadership skills

The Center for Youth and Communities (CYC) at Brandeis University found that students who participated in the FIRST Robotics Competition (high school) are: More than 3 times as likely to major specifically in engineering. Roughly 10 times as likely to have had an internship in their freshman year. Significantly more likely to expect to achieve a post graduate degree. More than twice as likely to expect to pursue a career in science and technology. More than twice as likely to volunteer in their communities.

Maryville study In 20-hour intervention study with 75 children ages 9-14, the experimental group made significant and meaningful (Cohen’s d = 0.56) greater mean score gains on a measure of spatial ability used as a pre- and post- assessment than the control group.

Competition Competition is divided into two formally prepared parts: 1. The Robot Game 2. The Research Presentation (33.3%) and two informally prepared parts: 3. Core Values (33.3%) 4. Robot Design (33.3%).

FLL Core Values We are a team. We do the work to find the solutions with guidance from our coaches and mentors. We honor the spirit of friendly sportsmanship. What we discover is more important than what we win. We share our experiences with others. We display Gracious Professionalism in everything we do. We have fun!

The Robot Game

Your team will work to build and program a robot that can solve as many challenges as possible in 2’30”. There are usually around 10 challenges on the table. At the competition, you have one practice round at the table, followed by three rounds that count over the course of the day. Your top score is your final score for Robot Performance. Performance is scored by trained, volunteer referees.

The judged sessions The project presentation, core values, and robot design are all judged with rubrics by volunteers who are often experts in the field.

The judged sessions Coaches and other non-team members should not participate in any way. Usually there is a limit on the number of adults who enter these sessions. Teams may bring a camera/video recorder.

The judged sessions Judges ask questions of the team. Judges may choose to call your team back to ask more questions. A team may only win one judged award.

Research Presentation

Each team researches a specific facet of the year’s topic. For example, in 2007 my team hosted a professional who taught the team about energy audits. The kids then did an energy audit of the Town Hall, researched their findings, and presented improvement suggestions to the Town Council and mayor. Teams present their research in a creative way (PowerPoint is discouraged) to a group of judges at competition.

2011: Can FIRST® LEGO® League teams improve the quality of food by finding ways to prevent food contamination? In the 2011 Food Factor Challenge … [teams] will explore the topic of food safety and examine the possible points of contamination our food encounters – from exposure to insects and creatures, to unsterile processing and transportation, to unsanitary preparation and storage – then find ways to prevent or combat these contaminates. …

2011 Costs You will need approx. $1000 in the first year: $65 Field set $420 FLL robot kit $225 National FLL registration Local registration varies Materials to build a table T-shirts and give-away items (optional, but recommended)

How I raised money for my teams: Virginia Tech supplied a computer and a robot kit for our team in They also helped with college-age mentors. Our school also supplied a robot. We applied for and received a $500 grant from AEP (VA power company) in 2005 and $250 for both 2006 and Our PTA gave about $100 to us each year. Parent donations generally reached about $200. Local business donations reached $500 in some years (I gave a letter to parents to give to business owners they knew.) A local restaurant (Sonic) donated lunch for all the kids.

Organizing a team You will need to build a 4x8 LEGO Table (specs online). I recommend 1 robot kit per 2-3 kids, but many teams get by with less. The maximum team size is 10, but fewer is recommended the first season. I do a “Spring Challenge” to find interested kids to join the team for the following fall.

General timeline Register online as soon as possible. The field set-up is sent out shortly after you register. So your team can build it early and make guesses about what the robot will have to do. The rules are released internationally on September 3, 2011 (about eight weeks before regional competitions) so that your team can prepare. Qualifying events are usually before Thanksgiving State competitions are usually before Christmas

What to bring to a FLL competition A prepared robot, all of its attachments, and a fully charged battery. If possible, a prepared back-up robot, duplicates of all attachments, and a fully charged battery. A laptop or two with the LEGO NXT-G software and all of the robot’s programs. A cable to download programs to the robot (a standard USB printer cable). The team’s LEGO bricks, hopefully organized by type. Battery charging cable. All project presentation materials, props, and handouts. Team t-shirts to wear. Snacks and drinks. A ball or Frisbee for entertainment and exercise during the occasional lengthy time between events. A plan for lunch—some events have lunch available for a fee, but it varies by event.

Resources LEGO Education: (buy kits) US FIRST: (all FIRST programs) St. Louis FIRST

Compete in the first year? Please! You and your team will learn so much from participating. Manage expectations Competitions are big, wild, crazy, fun times! Go to learn.