FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) is an elementary, middle and high robotics program that challenges students to build competitive robots capable of solving different challenges each year. It’s an exemplary hands-on STEM education program appealing for its “Sport for the Mind” techno-rock ambiance, its over $8 million in annual scholarships, and its values based philosophy of Gracious Professionalism.
While there are a lot of experienced electrical, mechanical, and programming engineers who dedicate countless hours to FIRST robotics mentoring and coaching, non-engineering coaches and mentors are a growing component of FIRST teams, and bring valuable skills and experiences to the robotics team experience.
The Non-Engineering Coach
The principle non-engineering mentors and coaches support group for FIRST is NEMO – the Non-Engineering Mentoring Organization . NEMOs tag line is “We deal with all the stuff that isn’t rocket science!”
NEMO guides teams in recruiting adult mentors who can write, are artists, or have experience in business and public relations. But non-engineering mentors and coaches have countless resources at their fingertips now that enable them to deal with the rocket science, too.
Non-Engineering coaches and mentors often arrive at their positions because of a child’s interests, and limited local opportunities to meet those interests. That “ignorance is bliss,” can be to the advantage the non-engineering coach or mentor, who is in little danger of becoming over-involved in robot design, construction or programming. By only working to facilitate more professional mentors and resources for teams, non-engineering coaches may more easily provide a higher degree of autonomy and team ownership to students, a plus in awards considerations, as well as provide greater exposure to FIRST robotics at the community-level.
Staying Values Focused and Communicating
Creating an effective team is as much a matter of coaching to FIRST values, emphasizing solid team communications and networking within the community as it is about engineering know-how. Staying values focused can inform everything from team communications and community outreach to competitions, and helps make the entire team experience positive for everyone.
Communications is vitally important. Weekly updates to team members and families about upcoming meetings, field trips and outreach opportunities help keep everyone on the same schedule and increase participation by as many students as possible. A team email list, forum or a collaborative work environment like a Wiki or Google sites provides a way to share calendars and documents, like the Engineering Notebook, as well as opportunities for online meetings. Skype is also a useful collaboration tool, allowing for electronic meetings with video and white board capabilities – all at no cost. Communications is also an important aspect of community networking.
Community Networking
Effective community networking means regular and consistent communications with organizations and individuals whose guidance and support can help a team. Regular and consistent means not just when a team needs financial or mentoring support, but as part of long term relationship building, both before, during and after, the need for support arises.
- Build a list of team “friends,” essentially anyone who has shown interest in the team, and send them regularly monthly updates via email or regular mail. Include plenty of photos in the update and, with permission, specifically mention organizations or individuals who have helped in some way, either through mentoring or providing a field trip or through a donation of time, service or funding.
- Create a website where supporters can be publicly recognized. A free blog is perfectly sufficient for posting regular updates, announcements and kudos, and linking back to supporters’ businesses and websites.
- Be grateful. Send thank you cards and letters, preferably signed by team members - for every gift, regardless of size or type.
- Be visibly active in the community. Offer team presentations and demonstrations to schools, local organizations and businesses. It’s good practice for students, and shows that the team is prepared to pay support and kindness forward to others.
Non-engineering coaches and mentors can bring important communications and networking skills and experiences to a FIRST robotics team experience, and have the potential to broaden the impact of this great STEM education program at the community level.
Theresa Willingham - My goal, as a writer and photographer, is to create thought provoking and informative content that inspires community engagement, and ...
