Hi everyone,
First things first… I have to cover my bases. I am not bringing my thoughts up to start an argument. I am bringing them up because I recently had a change in my thought process brought on by a discussion here on CD, and I am currently in turmoil as to what conclusions I should draw from these changes. Anyone who believes that FIRST is about learning rather than competition might benefit from reading it. It could be lengthy… to tell you the truth, I don’t know what I’ll write yet. I have so many half formed Ideas floating around in my head that it is hard to say, but I’ll try. This post will deal with how I used to think about FIRST, how I currently view FIRST, and what has changed between them. I’m going to mention many Ideas, and some of them aren’t conventionally found here on CD… I just hope that you can read with an open mind, and keep the initial negative reaction flame wars to a minimum. At the same time, though, if you have something negative to say… be my guest. Any and all input is more than welcome.
What I thought of FIRST up until just minutes ago:***
From the very beginning of my Lego League career, I have envisioned FIRST ROBOTICS as a tool to teach students about science, technology, and social grace. While I was dealing with Legos, I learned basic structural design, I grasped fully the use of simple machines, and I started thinking about more complex mechanical ideas. While doing that, I learned how to interact with my peers, I gained confidence in my abilities, and finally I learned how to deal with both victory and defeat on the field. I learned that it didn’t matter whether I thought something was fair was not. What was done was done, and the only direction left to go was forward. After Legos, I jumped straight to FRC 306. There I honed my knowledge of complex mechanical devices, drafting, material design, 3d modeling, programming, advertising, social interaction, and so much more that the list might just turn out to be three pages long. I was ecstatic every time I was taught something new, or mastered something I already knew. Because the team was comprised of mostly 10th graders my freshman year, each robot we built got progressively more professional. This all lead to the design and construction of our 2007 robot. A machine that not only was beautiful, but performed well and stood up with such robustness that we of team 306 could truly be proud of what we had done.
As I graduated, I could only find myself wishing that I had more time with FIRST. After all, it had taught me so much about engineering, and allowed me to accomplish so much under its protective wing, that I couldn’t stand seeing it go. But it did, and I lived, and have continued learning to this day. In my eyes, FIRST had taught me everything that I knew at that point.
What I now think of FIRST:
In my freshman year of College, I was by chance roomed with not one, but two student members of a well known and popular predominantly engineer run team. One was on a mechanical design committee, and one a programming committee. We often talked of FIRST, and it didn’t take long to realize that their experience had been so different from mine that they could hardly be compared. Firstly, Neither one of them had any Idea about what went on with the design, or programming of their team’s robot during those steps. They were made familiar with the design of the robot only after it had been finalized by the engineers, and were allowed to observe, and sometimes aid, in the construction phase. The mechanical student lead on their team had drilled mounting holes for protective lexan, and that is it… and the programmer had written an autonomous mode that was never used. Both my roommates, and I myself, had seen what engineers can accomplish, and all of us had been inspired to become engineers. This is exactly what FIRST promises in its mission statement, and this is exactly what was delivered in both cases. From an “Engineer” team, and from a “Student” team. Either way works.
After arguing numerous times that FIRST was predominantly about learning, and that the competition was a side pursuit… I sat down and thought long and hard about that particular fact. All it took was one particularly inciteful post here on CD to send my mind in some completely different directions.
The cold hard conclusions that I have come to are shocking to me. They are as follows: FIRST really isn’t about learning. FIRST is about inspiring young people to want to learn. It is to show them what engineers do, and persuade them to go to college, to graduate as engineers, and to design our future. FIRST could care less what you’ve learned along the way in highschool, because you will re-learn it in college anyway. FIRST just provides a game, and a kit of parts.
It is up to each team to teach its members what it will. This is why there are so many polar opposites on CD when this topic is discussed. Because each team gives its members a totally different experience. Some teams Teach that the FIRST experience could not be complete without learning, and some teach that you will do the learning in college, but for now to leave it up to the engineers.
The people who really taught me everything I knew were so much closer that I could kick myself for not having seen this sooner. I learned almost everything I currently know about engineering and design not from FIRST, but from Mr. Ken Morrison, Mr. Tim Tomcho, and Mr. Dan Mather, my devoted mentors. They sat there in the Robotics lab for days, just to see me learn. They showed me everything I needed to know, and the entire while, they were volunteering. The rest I learned from my peers friends and family, from reading, and from mentors belonging to other FRC teams.
I am torn with how to interpret this: FRC 306 was allowed to flourish in my school environment only because the school knew that it was teaching kids valuable information. If the school had thought for one minute that the main point of FIRST was to convince children to follow the path of the engineer, the team may not have even been founded. Instead the money could have been used to buy materials to aid students in their career choice of any type, rather than to try to funnel them all into one.
The only reason my particular team was teaching me so much was because of the mentors who were involved. That means that the school funding went to teaching the students, which according to the school board is what it is supposed to be used for.
Although my mentors used FIRST as a tool for teaching, and the students used it as a tool for learning, there are many teams out there who do not.
I have nothing against either of these types of teams, and I am not downplaying anyone’s’ experiences in FIRST. I know that the regional and national experiences are a blast. I know how it feels to win matches as a driver, and I know how it feels to watch your team lose from the stands. Those are some of the best times of my life, and I wouldn’t give them up for anything. But I could, and have, felt those same feelings while playing sports.
So what makes FIRST worthwhile to students who have no hand in designing or building their robot? To students who don’t learn nearly as much about engineering as others do? If it is solely the Competition, and learning doesn’t take place. Then wouldn’t a student’s time and a school’s money be better spent on a 6 dollar basketball?
Before you say: “It’s the Learning, Cody… Are you daft?”, please go reread my entire post. I love the learning, and I think that that is what FIRST should be about. I know that that is exactly why I participated.
Thanks all, and I’m truly looking forward to what you have to say,
-Cody
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