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Unread 23-07-2013, 11:05
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Building Student Leaders: IRI Round Table Discussion Notes

Building Student Leaders:IRI Round Table Discussion 2013

A huge thank you to FRC Hall of Fame Member, Chief Robot Inspector, and World Championship Volunteer of the Year Al Skierkiewicz for attending our discussion and providing treasured words of wisdom to those of us who met at IRI to talk about building up student leaders.

We heard from numerous highly successful teams about how they build up student leaders, as well as areas that their teams can improve upon. It was especially great to hear from some of the students who, though leaving their teams soon for college, were motivated to continue improving their teams and the FIRST community. Thank you students, for your impact, inspiration and personalities worth imitating.

At the round table, we compiled a list of how to build up student leadership. Individual items on this list are probably nothing new to most of you, but collaged together they build up powerful thoughts. They are also great reminders for all of us, from new students to 18 year veteran mentors. They are in no order of importance, because the key here is to implement them all in ways that work for your team. Singularly they are good, but combined they are powerful ways to build a successful team of inspired and motivated students.

Following the list are questions for further discussion, which I encourage you to answer in this thread (and look for some of the questions in upcoming #BotChat sessions on Twitter!)

Google Doc link to the discussion notes are found here: Building Student Leaders:IRI Round Table Discussion 2013
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Unread 23-07-2013, 11:12
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Re: Building Student Leaders: IRI Round Table Discussion Notes

Good Stuff! This has been a problem in our past, and is beginning to evolve positively, but we still need to improve.

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Unread 23-07-2013, 11:15
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Re: Building Student Leaders: IRI Round Table Discussion Notes

Great stuff, sorry I missed the talk. A lot of interesting things for teams to think about.
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Unread 23-07-2013, 15:25
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Re: Building Student Leaders: IRI Round Table Discussion Notes

Thanks for posting this! Building student leaders has always been an issue that I've seen. Even though I may not have been able to make it to the roundtable it is super helpful that you have posted notes from the meeting!
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Unread 24-07-2013, 00:29
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Re: Building Student Leaders: IRI Round Table Discussion Notes

First of all, thank you for conducting this helpful discussion; it has given me and my teammates a lot to think about. I found it particularly useful in beginning my slow transition from student leader to mentor, as I not only got the chance to hear the insights of experienced mentors from many different teams, but I also got to hear the perspectives of students from other team systems facing different hardships than what I've been immersed in with my own team.

During the actual roundtable discussion, I found that the subject was changing too fast for me to give coherent input of my own, so I'll just write it out here instead:

Another important factor in getting students inspired to step up into a leadership role is giving them something tangible to strive for: When our team was created, the driving motive for us founding toasters was to create a team which could, eventually, achieve the level of recognition and success that those "dynasty" teams possess. We looked at teams such as 33, 245, 51 and 469 as something to achieve -- we didn't want our team to be any of those others, but we sought the status that each of them symbolized. By watching the dynasty teams, we gained the inspiration and desire to formulate our own unique presence that would one day reach that same status.
Now that the team's basic foundation has been set, and now that new students are entering the system without that common goal (yet), we're relying on varsity letters to be their initial source of inspiration to get involved. I've noticed over the last two years (ever since we implemented the varsity program) that some of our most dedicated students joined the team initially for the purpose of earning a letter, then later gained the same level of inspiration as us founders once they had gotten a taste for robotics. They need a tangible reason to begin trying things out, then will most likely continue on without incentive once they discover how much fun the competition can be.

As for what contributes to a strong student leader... From my personal experience, I attribute a lot of my growth as a leader to the way my mentors regarded me: Every one of them treated me more as an equal rather than a student. We all knew at the back of our minds that I was the student and they were the adults, the mentors, the elders...but that fact had absolutely no influence over what we expected of one another or how we respected the other(s). I felt the constant need to push myself further, to take on larger projects and see them through to completion because I did not want to lose the respect and confidence in my abilities that my mentors gave me. They all had very fair expectations, too; whenever one of them tossed an assignment my way, they made it very clear that it was also okay for me to give them tasks in exchange. They always listened to my ideas and opinions as they would a co-worker's, and would even purposely seek me out for input on specific issues. This mindset of equality really boosted my confidence, as I no longer felt the dissention that students sometimes get from adults. It also made me realize that everyone's ideas matter, including my own, regardless of age or gender or role on the team.

Students need the chance to step beyond the role of "student" to become good leaders.

(Annnd there's my late-night post for today. Sleep? Pfffft. Who needs sleep? I'm a toaster! Just plug me into that outlet over there and I'll be fine. )
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Unread 24-07-2013, 07:42
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Re: Building Student Leaders: IRI Round Table Discussion Notes

Kerry,
Very interesting points. Sorry we couldn't discuss this further but I do believe the concept of 'equals' is a great point. We are all members of the same team and although we have defined roles, we are working together towards a team goal. It is yet another part of gracious professionalism.
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Unread 24-07-2013, 10:48
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I think dedication goes a long way, too. If a member can show that they are committed to the team, they should in effect be leading by example. In our team, one issue is inconsistency on attendance. A person will come to one meeting, then come a few weeks later, expecting nothing to have changed. Our student leaders do a great job in consistently showing up and contributing and they lead by example.
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Unread 24-07-2013, 14:19
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Re: Building Student Leaders: IRI Round Table Discussion Notes

Quote:
Originally Posted by VexisDarksteele View Post
(EDITed down for length)

During the actual roundtable discussion, I found that the subject was changing too fast for me to give coherent input of my own, so I'll just write it out here instead:

Now that the team's basic foundation has been set, and now that new students are entering the system without that common goal (yet), we're relying on varsity letters to be their initial source of inspiration to get involved. I've noticed over the last two years (ever since we implemented the varsity program) that some of our most dedicated students joined the team initially for the purpose of earning a letter, then later gained the same level of inspiration as us founders once they had gotten a taste for robotics. They need a tangible reason to begin trying things out, then will most likely continue on without incentive once they discover how much fun the competition can be.
I usually find it easier to spend time writing my thoughts, rather then speaking, so I very much appreciate your input here on CD! Thank you for your response, it definitely adds more depth to the discussion we had.

I like this point that students are looking for something to get out of this program, and a Varsity Letter is a great recognition for that. I hope to eventually help my own team develop this idea for our school, especially because many of the students that we are trying to reach (right now mostly art students) do not play a varsity sport, but this would allow them to showcase involvement in something that takes just as much (if not more) dedication and training than athletics.
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