By Claudia Rempel
Lopez School Parent Advisory Committee (PAC)
I spent a Tuesday afternoon with a group of Lopez Island Elementary School students as they worked on fixing the speed at which their robot launched balls at a target. I asked one student in particular what Robotics was all about and he described it as “putting together robots, and then working on making them better.”
Ingrid Vliet, a Lopez Island School parent and music teacher began the VEX Robotics club after her daughter expressed interest in robotics. VEX IQ is a programmable robot kit used in robotics classes, which allows for flexibility in design, programming, and competition.
“Ingrid approached me about starting an after school VEX Robotics club. We were able to secure a grant from LIEF (Lopez Island Educational Foundation), and the program launched,” recalls Brian Auckland, Lopez Island School District Superintendent. Mr. Auckland emphasizes the school’s approach to extra-curricular programs: “We are very open-minded to new programs that enhance learning outside of the classroom. But they do require additional fundraising and volunteers willing to consistently put in the time.”
After school, twice a week, students in grades 3-8 gather to explore scientific concepts through research, problem solving, collaboration, and construction. They begin their process with a kit (parts and instructions), and construct their robot. Next, they are given various challenges and must adapt their robot to the criteria of the game. Recently, the students attended a VEX Robotics competition where they put their constructed robots to the test. The competition has several elements: a teamwork challenge; driver skills; and a programming challenge, where older students learn to program their robots to perform the obstacle course without a remote control.
“Ingrid is bringing an awareness of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) related careers and working with many skill sets found in design thinking: collaboration and problem solving, being hallmarks of today’s common core standards,” says Dave Sather, Lopez Island Middle School and High School principal.
Sather cautions against thinking about technology in the classroom as simply drones and IPADs. He excitedly talks about the potential for Lopez Island Schools to be innovators in embedding design thinking in the elementary and secondary curriculums – focusing not only on traditional scientific areas, but encompassing the computer sciences (coding, programing), and the arts (music digital recording, graphic design) as well. Design thinking is an approach to problem solving using, tools, methods, and processes that incorporates feedback and improvement.
There remain areas of growth to achieve the needs of a fully functioning K-12 engineering focus. “We are competing against schools in Seattle and Bellevue, where technology budgets and resources are much greater than ours,” said Sather. “We need resources to improve our equipment, pay for training for teachers and staff, and give our students a chance of remaining competitive and relevant.”
VEX Robotics will host their first competition on Lopez on Saturday, Feb. 20. Come see the amazing work these students are doing!
