Assessing and Improving the Support for South Carolina FIRST LEGO League Coaches
Presentation Type
Event
Full Name of Faculty Mentor
Louis Rubbo
Major
Applied Physics
Minor
Creative Writing
Presentation Abstract
The FIRST LEGO League is a robotics program for children ages 9 to 14, which encompasses late elementary to middle school kids. The main goal of FIRST is to inspire young children to participate in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), but also to teach the values of hard work and cooperation. In South Carolina there over 2,250 children divided into teams of up to ten kids. With this, one hurdle FIRST faces is in the aspect of coaching. Some coaches have a vested interest in STEM and robotics, while others are chosen by their school or administration. Because of this, many coaches do not feel they are well equipped to coach such teams. Through the use of a post-season coach survey, we've identified and developed new policies and materials to aid coaches in fostering an interest in STEM in young children.
Location
Brittain Hall, Room 112
Start Date
16-4-2019 6:40 PM
End Date
16-4-2019 7:00 PM
Disciplines
Physics
Recommended Citation
Saussaman, Tanner, "Assessing and Improving the Support for South Carolina FIRST LEGO League Coaches" (2019). Undergraduate Research Competition. 53.
https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/ugrc/2019/oral/53
Assessing and Improving the Support for South Carolina FIRST LEGO League Coaches
Brittain Hall, Room 112
The FIRST LEGO League is a robotics program for children ages 9 to 14, which encompasses late elementary to middle school kids. The main goal of FIRST is to inspire young children to participate in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), but also to teach the values of hard work and cooperation. In South Carolina there over 2,250 children divided into teams of up to ten kids. With this, one hurdle FIRST faces is in the aspect of coaching. Some coaches have a vested interest in STEM and robotics, while others are chosen by their school or administration. Because of this, many coaches do not feel they are well equipped to coach such teams. Through the use of a post-season coach survey, we've identified and developed new policies and materials to aid coaches in fostering an interest in STEM in young children.