I am trying to get some ideas on what I can tell veteran teams about approaching a new school to get them to want to have a team.
Mentoring a team that comes to you and wants mentoring is different than approaching a new school and trying to get them interested.
I would appreciate any ideas that mentors/coaches out there have.
Thank you very much for you help
I would suggest talking with Glenn Lee from Hawaiian Kids #359.
Before their HOF win they were traveling the islands starting new teams.
We were one of them… He brought us out to their build space and did demos and had a good presentation. Must of started at least 6 teams probably more… Sadly many did not make it past the 2nd year…
It was very impressive and I have been hooked since… Thanks Glenn!!
Aloha!
I had a discussion recently with folks trying to approach a new school. My suggestion was that, to some extent, seeing is believing. Can you get the OK to set up someplace where students will all be able to see A) a FIRST robot and B) video of the robot doing its stuff. Lunch room is the obvious choice if you have a tolerance for that level of chaos.
Kids will be interested. Collect names. Only about 10% of randomly interested bystanders will really consider doing FIRST but you can actually get a basic team started with six or seven who are willing to work.
I think a base upwards approach is best. Others have tried go top down and approach tech ed teachers but the reality is that most of them are overwhelmed and not about to take on something radical and new. They might however be brought on board for a team that has formed and is looking for guidance.
The degree of input/help/financing available will vary a great deal from one situation to the next. But if you find the kids you can always find a little money (rookie grants), and usually find a mentor or two somewhere.
And you will always remember and cherish those crazy, disorganized early days!
T.Wolter
I suggest reaching out to Tom Jerome, he has been instrumental in getting FRC ingrained into a large portion of MN, most notably FRC 5172, but he has started many many teams (perhaps someone who knows the actual figure from MN can chime in). It helps that he is part of the school system admin. PM me for his contact info if interested.
If I was really serious about it what I would try is. Contact the school to see about demonstrating your robot to the advanced junior-level science or physics students. You might have a teacher that would welcome you to come there for one of their classes. Then bring a couple students with the robot to demonstrate it. I’d try to keep it topical, maybe even checking to see what the class is covering at the moment, to show how robotics crosses with the classroom. Following the demonstration (and some brief description of FIRST) I’d tell them the minimum requirements to start a team. That they need at least 2 adults (teacher, engineer, parent) and 6+ dedicated students. That first-year teams can apply for special grants. I’d encourage them to talk to their parents if they are interested and leave them our contact information so they can keep in contact if they are interested in starting a team. Also, I’d leave contact info with the teacher and thank them for their time.
If the teacher has both a sophomore and junior-level class, you could stay for a couple classes. I’d probably try this in the Spring. I taught a couple HS physics classes during college as an Engineering Ambassador, and this was basically how we setup classroom visits, so I know that it is possible. The teachers were very welcoming, though you’ll have to see what works with their lesson plans. I think ambitious students that will be in the upper classes in the next term would be the most likely to do the footwork to find adults that would help them begin a FIRST team. So that is why I would go for advanced classes in those grades. Another benefit is getting in front of a teacher with your robot. You might ask them about their own interest or other teachers at the school that might be interested. Having a robot they can see might get past the fact that science teachers have too much going on to add an involved extracurricular. Also, very important to bring students to help demonstrate the robot, because they really sell the program.