Team Mentorship Question

[Andrew Schreiber]

Originally Posted by Boomtownblues

Hello,

I apologize in advance if this is in the wrong subforum.

In 2007 I was on a FIRST Robotics team back in Chicago. Since then I've graduated with an undergraduate ME degree and I'm working full time now at an automation company.

I'd like to get more into youth STEM education and I've been hoping to mentor a FIRST team. However, I'm not really sure where to start.

For a newbie mentor, would you recommend starting in mentoring FLL teams or jumping straight into an FRC team? What should I consider when mentoring any team? Any tips in general?

Thanks

07 Alumni represent?

Anywho, I jumped straight into FRC without any problems but I never really stopped being involved. I was fortunate enough to be able to include FRC and college at the same time. Since graduating college I've also picked up an FTC team and been involved with various FLL tournaments. Personally, I struggle to mentor FLL because I find it very difficult for me to communicate with students that age. If you work well with that age group of children I highly suggest getting involved there. If not I suggest looking into either FTC or FRC. The main trick is remembering you aren't a student any more. Sometimes you have to let the students make something that will fail just to learn why.


Things to consider:
You're new at your job, don't let FIRST interfere with work or having a normal life.

FIRST is awesome but having a balanced and happy life is important.

If a job can reasonably be done by a student you should let them do it if they are interested. (If they aren't interested try to get them interested)

These are children and they are impressionable. Act accordingly.

These kids sit in school 7+ hours a day they don't want to be lectured at. Treat them as equals whenever you can. Get their input. Whenever possible have them form hypotheses about how a system will perform and then test it. Then evaluate why it did or didn't work and how to improve it. (This all goes out the window when safety is involved)

Be supportive. As a programmer all too often the mech people blame us for everything, half of my job is being there to take the annoyance of people blaming code for things. The other half is pointing to the students whenever things go right.

[Boomtownblues]

Hey,

Thanks for the advice/welcome backs!

In terms of my FRC experience, I was part of a program that was starting up a team. Unfortunately the team didn't exist beyond its first year, but we went out with a bang and made it to nationals on the rookie award! That being said, aside from a few regionals and attending nationals once I don't have a very prolonged experience with the competition.

I participated and led a robotics team in college, which was rough but fun. Leading college students is comparable to leading cats, which makes me wonder if I can handle younger crowds! A while back I helped organize an afterschool arts program, so I have some limited experience in that regard.

I completely agree about the work/life/team balance, I'd like to enter as a part time mentor at first to gauge how I'd be on the team. Is this unadvisable?

I guess my biggest question at this point is what is the best strategy to play as a mentor? Is it more of a role where you question and challenge members to overcome design challenges? Do you make your own curriculum to teach them the tools they need to design and construct a bot, or do you try to expose them to the right material and let them discover it themselves? How much responsibility do you leave in the member's hands in terms of making organizational decisions?

Thanks for the link, Conor! I'll definitely be using that!

[ttldomination]

Originally Posted by Boomtownblues

I completely agree about the work/life/team balance, I'd like to enter as a part time mentor at first to gauge how I'd be on the team. Is this unadvisable?

Definitely. Remember, when you go to help out out a team, things have been going on before you got there. The team has a way of doing things that perhaps you are not familiar with/you aren't used to. As a part time/side lines mentor, you'll be able to much more easily assimilate into the program you join as well as observe the group in order to recommend any changes.

Originally Posted by Boomtownblues

I guess my biggest question at this point is what is the best strategy to play as a mentor? Is it more of a role where you question and challenge members to overcome design challenges?

This depends on your attitude towards mentoring and the attitude of the program you join. I know, me personally, I enjoy being a part of the process. So I have no issues asking questions, throwing in/out ideas, and turning the occasional screwdriver.

However, other teams like their mentors to take various approaches. This might be a discussion that you have with the lead mentor of the program you join as well as something you develop throughout your mentoring career.

Originally Posted by Boomtownblues

Do you make your own curriculum to teach them the tools they need to design and construct a bot, or do you try to expose them to the right material and let them discover it themselves?

I think you need to take note that robotics members come in an hierarchy. The seniors (most of them) are fully functioning members, and in a well developed program, they can best most mentors. So any style of curriculum wouldn't really target them.

When my team is targeting new members, it is with the understanding that no amount of classroom training is a substitution for getting out there and building. Therefore, we attempt to teach the basics (give them the "tools"), and then throw them in.

Originally Posted by Boomtownblues

How much responsibility do you leave in the member's hands in terms of making organizational decisions?

I think this is more to do with the program you join. Obviously, you want to the students to do ask much as possible. However, the answer to this question is a fundamental debate, not only on these forums, but in almost all of FIRST.

- Sunny G.