1. So you were asked to help a FIRST LEGO League Team
What we think Coaches, Parents, and Mentors need to know

2. Welcome to Rockwell Automation
Thank you for signing in. Please remember to sign out when you leave for the day
Please wear your nametag at all times while you are here
Please do not wander around the building - stay out of areas marked “Rockwell Employees Only”. Stay off Elevators
Safety
Loud continuous horn is fire alarm
3 consecutive horn is tornado siren
Please clean up before you leave – I have enough sweaters from previous years

3. Introductions Michael Rudder Kevin Fonner David Fort Maureen Garnett
System Engineer (Rockwell Automation)
FLL Coach since 2009
FTC Coach since 2012
FLL Robot Design Judge since 2010
Kevin Fonner
Software Engineer (Rockwell Automation)
FLL Coach since 2014
Jr. FLL Coach since 2011
FLL Robot Design Judge since 2015
David Fort
FLL mentor for a very long time
FTC Coach for a very long time
FLL Tournament Referee and Occasional Judge
Maureen Garnett
Tech Support Engineer (Rockwell Automation)
FLL Coach
FLL Judge and volunteer for several years
Deepali Dugar
Software Engineer (Rockwell Automation)
FLL Coach since 2016
FLL Project Judge since 2016
Heidi Grunenberg
Teacher at Kirtland Middle School
2017 Celebrate Teaching Distinguished Educator
FLL Coach since 2009
FLL Project, Core Values Judge
Jake Grdadolnik
2018 FIRST Deans Finalist
FLL Judge
FLL Mentor Since 2015
Co-captain of FTC Team 8120, the Electric Hornets
First participant since 2012

4. Disclaimer Nothing you hear today is “official”
We have experience coaching, judging, and refereeing FLL but we have absolutely no FIRST authority
Many of you have good experience and good ideas - Please contribute them
Questions and discussions are the cornerstone of this workshop
You will hear and see some things more than once – that’s because they are really important

5. Goals for Today Getting Started – Some basic stuff
Understand the Robot Competition day
Project Info
Robot Tips
Core Values
Working with kids
First Steps

6. Did anyone prepare for this?
Has anyone coached FLL before?
Has anyone volunteered at a tournament?
Who read the FLL Coaches Handbook on the FIRST site?
Who watched all of the informational FIRST Videos on the FIRST site?
Who watched YouTube videos of teams competing in previous years?
These are all good things to help you learn and understand FIRST LEGO League

7. What is FIRST?

8. What is FIRST? It’s a competitive sport. It's a life experience.
It's opportunity.
It's community.
It's amazing.

9. Our mission is to inspire young people to be science
What is FIRST?
Vision
"To transform our culture by creating a world where science and technology are celebrated and where young people dream of becoming science and technology leaders."
Dean Kamen, Founder
Mission
Our mission is to inspire young people to be science
and technology leaders, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering and technology skills, that inspire innovation, and that foster well-rounded life capabilities including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.

10. The 4 Parts of FIRST LEGO League
Robot Performance
Project
Core Values
Robot Design

11. “The Robot is the Campfire”

12. The OLD FLL Core Values 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® in everything we do.
We have fun!

13. FIRST Core Values
We express the FIRST philosophies of Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition through our Core Values:
Discovery: We explore new skills and ideas.
Innovation: We use creativity and persistence to solve problems.
Impact:  We apply what we learn to improve our world.
Inclusion: We respect each other and embrace our differences.
Teamwork: We are stronger when we work together.
Fun: We enjoy and celebrate what we do!

14. Rubrics Read, know, use the rubrics
Blueprints for a successful FLL judging experience
Evaluation criteria used during judging
Have the team evaluate themselves using the rubrics several times throughout the season
Identify areas for improvement
Have mentor, teacher, or parent evaluate your team at some point before competition

15. Planning

16. Planning - Season Timeline
Teams form and register: May-September
Kickoff: August 1, 2018
September through November – Build Season
Build your field (mission models)
Build and program robot
Work on research project
Prepare and practice presentations
Early – Mid October: Register for Tournament (October 1st? – watch your )
Early November: Scrimmages
University of Akron 11/3?
Willoughby 11/10?

17. Planning - Season Timeline
November & December: Local Qualifying Tournaments
Lorain CCC - 11/17
Avon - 12/1
Warren - 12/1
Aurora – ?
North Canton - ?
Austintown – 12/8
Kirtland - 12/9
December 15: District Tournament: University of Akron
Feb ?: OH State Tournament in Dayton
April: World Festival in Detroit
Unofficial dates!

18. Planning – Things to Think About
When do we meet?
Meeting right after school may conflict with other after school activities. Also, kids may need a break from school activities.
Evenings may cause transportation problems.
Weekends can be productive, but may not be possible given family activities.
How often do we meet?
How long do we meet?
Meeting frequency and duration depends on team availability and team goals.

19. Planning – Things to Think About
How do we do field trips?
Can we work at home and bring stuff in?
Two of us have study hall together, can we work then?

20. Planning – Make a Schedule
List regular meeting times
The deadline is coming, we need more practices!
Plan those additional meetings now. You will need them. Put them on the schedule.
Oh no, the Middle School band concert is the same night as practice!
If regular meetings conflict with holidays or school events, plan the alternative and get it on the schedule.
Give each team member a copy of the schedule to take home

21. Team Rules & Decisions

22. Team Rules Have the team help make the rules How are decisions made?
Who does what?
Programming
Building
Research
Presentation planning
Who is in charge?
Who runs the robot?
How do we keep everyone involved?
Students working on their own
Remember that FLL is a team activity
Make rules as to what team members can and cannot do on their own

23. Decision Making - Voting
If you just hold a simple vote, the voters will likely choose their own idea.
“Vote for 2” – each team member may cast two votes on two different ideas. This way they can vote for their idea and one other idea.
If there are many more ideas than voters, give everyone a number of tokens and let them place those on the ideas they like. Here they can vote for the same idea more than once.
Each person orders the ideas from low to high. The numbers for each idea are added up and the idea with the highest total is selected.
The above techniques can also be used to narrow the field for a final vote

24. Decision Making – Better than Voting
Run a trial of one idea vs. another. See which works better.
For project ideas, split the team and have them research the different ideas to see which has better potential.
Review each idea to see if it is feasible. Eliminating ideas that are not feasible, helps narrow choices. Here is a chance for the coach / mentor to step in and say “that won’t work because…”

25. Decision Making – The Wrong Path
My team is about to make a bad decision
Are you sure it is a bad decision? Don’t stifle creativity
Review the pros and cons of their selection – maybe they will recognize their mistake (or you will recognize yours)
Suggest they try one idea vs. another.

26. Decision Making – The Fallout
A team member may not like the team’s decision. He or she may want to “take his ball and go home” What do you do?
Decisions shouldn’t be taken personally
There are many factors that affect a decision
Johnny may have had the best idea, but the best ideas are not always picked

27. Dave Fort Rule for Giving Feedback
Sandwich Compliment:
That is a Fantastic idea.
Maybe you and Cindy can refine it so it doesn’t violate any laws of physics.
I’m really looking forward to seeing that in action.

28. You Are The Coach

29. You Are The Coach
“We do the work to find solutions with guidance from our coaches and mentors”
The coach and mentors are there to guide, not do!
Give a kid a program and his robot does one mission. Teach the kid to program, and his robot can do all of the missions
Books, websites, videos are all acceptable resources for building and programming robots

30. You Are The Coach - Tips on Safety
Avoid 1 on 1 situations
Have parent volunteers help shepherd kids at Competition
Know the parents, have them come in to pick up/drop off
Contact info and medical release forms (standard field trip stuff)
Communicate frequently with parents (kids often don’t relay important information) – e.g. weekly newsletter or blog

31. Finally…

32. YAMMV, but. . . You will learn something technical
You will learn something about leadership
You will learn something about kids
You will learn something about your community
You will learn something about yourself
You will make new friends
You will get sick of Pizza

33. FIRST Information and Resources
Visit the official FIRST website at
Appoint someone to read blasts and report on them
Check for game updates!
Ohio FIRST Website wpafbstem.com/pages/k12_FLL_overview.html
Useful Team Websites
(information, worksheets, checklists)
(mostly NXT-G) 17

34. NEOHBots web page: www.neohbots.com

35. NEOHBots Public Facebook page

36. NEOHBots Closed Facebook Group

37. Questions? 18