GP? I think not.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by DanTod97

I dont think he was attacking the entire way the team is run, just the specific things Jim described, which specifically had to do with the way mentors treat the build-time

Which is part of how the team is run...

I'm actually inclined to agree with both.

Jim is right--it's not reasonable to expect a high school student to do college-level or post-grad work. That said, there are high schoolers who do college-level work. So Woody has a point there...and I myself have designed a system using basic trig.

But Woody seems to be describing a team without any mentors. Jim is describing a team with many. (Note: this is an assumption based on the respective posts.) So which is right? Both.

The ideal team is a balance between the two. Students who don't know the concept/math/whatever that the mentors do are taught what the mentors know and then apply that knowledge. My first introduction to integral calculus came before I learned about differential calculus. One of the programmers taught me the basic method while he worked out a problem.

I defintietly agree with this statement, though:

Originally Posted by Woody

Team students should keep in mind that we are there to learn from the Mentors, not dictate to them. Share you calculations and concerns with the team mentors. One of the mentors may just blindside you with brilliance when it comes to a simple solution.

Mentors should also remember: we are there to teach, not to dictate. Share your calculations with students and answer any questions they have. Students can have brilliant solutions too. Be ready to learn from them.

I remember a case where I came up with a solution to a problem, but a mentor simplified the solution. I also did a design for another mentor who had built a prototype but didn't know how to do it in Inventor. So it can go both ways.

In ideal reality, there should be no mentor/student debate. It should be that a team builds the robot, a team made up of both students and mentors, equal treatment and authority. Unfortunately, reality isn't ideal, so we have this debate.