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Originally Posted by brandy836
You said that you wanted kids with basic background knowledge. Although it seems efficient, it shouldnt always be the case. If the rookies know nothing, give them the chance to learn, after all, isn't that what the team is there for?
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Thank you for your comments Brandy836,
What I meant by "background knowledge" was that the students would have
the ability to obtain background knowledge, not come in right away with it. I don't expect that everyone who joins the team know something about robotics - you are right, the program is about learning. What I want to do is make sure that rookies
can get comprehensive background knowledge after they join the team - that way, it will be alot easier for them to find their place among the veterans and jump into new projects. As an example, I listed various knowledge workshops that the team could hold to educate rookies about the various areas of expertise found on a robotics team. That way, they would gain basic knowledge and awareness of what they can do on the team, and hopefully help them find a discipline of robotics which they may want to focus on. Hopefully it will give them a sense of direction, and prevent them from feeling totally lost, as I did my first year on the team.
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Originally Posted by Jay H 237
Do you know why only half the rookies made it through?
You brought up excellent points and solutions but if you don't know why members are leaving you don't know where to really concentrate your efforts or what to change if need be. It is possible that after joining they realized that FIRST isn't for them but if they became bored or felt "left out" then you'll know where to start.
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Well, my original post was longer - it explained why I felt that rookie members of the team were being lost. But since the post was so long (and it still is) I cut down on the size of it by getting rid of the background information. The rest of the post explains how I think that the areas of the team that need improvement can be improved. The things that I addressed refer to the problems that I believe cause rookies to quit the team, as well as what causes a general lack of efficacy.
In a nutshell (or as nutshell-ish as I can be) these are the reasons why I believe rookies on our team do not stick around:
- Lack of respect from upperclassmen and veterans
- A general cluelessness about how to start doing something that they know nothing about
- Being scolded on occasion for no being a part of a group, when they don't have any idea what to do
- Not being given a clearly defined system to work within (lack of cohesiveness, communication)
- Lack of structure within team, lack of organization
- Feeling that they can't take on something for themselves, because they are not comfortable making mistakes
- Worries about looking stupid and fears of negative consequences if they "mess up"
I appreciate all of you comments so far. Keep sharing your opinions/experiences etc.
-- Jaine