Quote:
Originally Posted by Molten
This seems to be a universal thought in this thread so far. In short, I hear "we use an adult because it gives us a better chance to win". My take on this: Who Cares? Honestly, FIRST isn't about winning. It is about learning. If you sincerely think that choosing an adult as coach improves the learning of the team as a whole, I respect your decision. However, if it is just to win, I ask this...Who is winning? If you are hindering learning, then the team loses. I have said it many times, but I'll say it again. I feel more like a "winner" when the students learn and we place last, then I would ever feel going to nationals if I did anything to hinder education.
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I'm rather tired of hearing the "FIRST isn't about winning, it's about learning" argument.
First off,
FIRST's primary 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."
While learning may be part of the way your team achieves that goal, FIRST isn't "about learning." The word learning isn't even in their mission statement. To say that it FIRST is about learning is merely creating a straw-man argument, and to imply that students don't learn while there is a mentor-coach is ignorant.
Beyond that, the FIRST Robotics Competition is just that, a COMPETITION. Winning is the ultimate goal of the competition, and to ignore that is nothing short of foolish. The competition aspect of FIRST is one the most powerful inspirational tools it has, and it is part of what sets it apart from many other engineering programs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Molten
I think Dean is missing a point. Honestly, I know I'm speaking heresy here. Sure, for some the point of FIRST is about the adults working side by side with students. But for some of us, FIRST is about something else. For me it is about educating the students. Period. I honestly don't care what Dean or Woodie expect for people to get out of FIRST. Often a person gets something different out of a gift then is expected by the giver. I think the point of FIRST is different for each and everyone of us.
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And what part of having a mentor coach prevent students from being educated? If you read this thread, and more importantly the one that was linked three posts in a row (by Karthik, Josh, and myself), you'll see that many teams use the adult coach as way to further educate their students.
Would you want a student teaching a calculus class instead of a teacher so that student can get a better education? No, you want the person most qualified to educate and help the students succeed.