LEGO ROBOTICS DAY CAMP

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1 These action items should be done prior to training: Thorough review of the curriculum and handout materials for camp; Review of Program Aide (PA) Core training materials, either from Girl Scouts Columbia River Council or your local council; Any major modifications of the curriculum; Copying and collation of Technical Mentor, Team, and an example Camper Notebook, if they are to be used; Identification of all materials to the point that Staff will know, for example, that toys for the lunch and recess breaks will be in one bin, craft supplies in another (plan to review that during setup the first morning before campers arrive); The goals of training are, in reference to the curriculum and camp: Familiarize Staff with the curriculum and explain at least some of its rationale; Create common expectations of behavior for adult staff and Program Aides (PAs) to minimize problems with PAs being off task or otherwise inappropriate; Create a common vocabulary, the better to teach and reinforce concepts to the campers; Help Staff learn how to teach some useful Rules of Thumb: o It is the teacher s job to present the knowledge/skills in a way that the student can understand if the students don t get it, try another way o An intelligent, motivated adult with a good context into which they can slot new knowledge needs, on average, three repititions to learn new material, so the first three times are free kids may need more repetitions or explanations so they can figure out to what or how the new knowledge connects or relates (context); Foster an awareness of different learning styles, often difficult for teenagers to appreciate, and see how the curriculum tries to reach campers with various learning needs; Help PAs seem in the know to campers, which will help bolster their authority and respect from the campers; Team building between PAs and between PAs and adult staff; Provide tools and examples for coping with campers through example, shared experience, discussion and role play. Girl Scouts - Columbia River Council, Inc Reproduce and use with permission /

2 The goals of training are, in reference to the Girl Scout program: Integrate the LEGO Robotics Day Camp curriculum with the Girl Scout Way; Meet Program Aide badge and patch requirements ( PA Core Training ); Provide PAs with some insight into the planning and preparation necessary for the camp, to help them learn to plan and produce events on their own; Appropriate LEGO-based training activities are: Kit familiarization, inventory, and sorting by part type. A sorted kit is much easier and faster for campers to use. Expect to take an hour or more per kit, though, so this may need to be done separately from PA Core training. Build the Pushybot and try pushing light and heavy cans. Review Pilot 2 and 4. The PAs may be resistant to this, wanting to go straight to the more sophisticated Inventor levels. But using Pilot both reduces the intimidation level for some campers and focuses on the step-wise nature of programming. Build a robot and do the Can Do Challenge or Art Bot challenges. o An Art Bot can hold a pen or marker such that it will draw when the robot is put down on a large sheet of paper (or use dry erase markers and a white board laid on the floor). Some potential challenges for this bot: Draw a closed shape with at least one corner. Draw a closed shape with no corners. Try to define the repeatability of a right angle turn. Draw echo art repeated lines or arcs in a row. (The underlying principle is draw a line, go forward until your light sensor finds that line, and draw another. Repeat as desired.) Based on our experience, with the aid of five Program Aides who had done LEGO Robotics Day Camp and had at least one, but mostly two or three years experience on FLL teams, Program Aide Core training takes 5 hours; depending on the condition of your LEGO kits, available space and programming stations, doing additional LEGOspecific training could take two to four hours more. Girl Scouts - Columbia River Council, Inc Reproduce and use with permission /

3 The following pages contain materials copyrighted by the Girl Scouts Columbia River Council, Inc. 2004, which may be reproduced and used with permission. Call or Some materials have been commented to highlight their applicability to LEGO Robotics Day Camp. The Girl Scout Way 4 B s - applied to LEGO Robotics camp! Become an engineer, a teammate, a problem solver Belong to a team, to a group with common interests Believe that you can do this, and prove it! Build a robot, a team, a solution, confidence Diversity/ Pluralism At LEGO Robotics camp, we see the most differences between people of different learning styles and personality, between those who question; those who have to work a problem through with their hands; those who must repeat a concept, sometimes in several ways; those who see the big picture but stumble on details; those who get lost in the details; those who learn better if they are humming or singing; those who want to focus until they are done; those who focus in small spurts. Sometimes culture plays a role in learning styles, especially in such issues as, is it okay to ask questions? Some cultures might find a younger person questioning an older person or authority figure rude or inappropriate. These campers might require more leading questions and a few more directions, especially at first. Sometimes gender equity issues arise, particularly with either career speakers or our favorite, usually heard from at least one camper a session I didn t know girls could play with LEGOs! Here is an excellent opportunity to reinforce that the best teams are diverse, to bring together the most ideas in the most creative way. Some role plays can help staff ensure equity for all campers. If your experienced team members are short on inspiration, a review of the leading questions handouts may Girl Scouts - Columbia River Council, Inc Reproduce and use with permission /

4 help. Some ideas: The shy or quiet camper teamed with an overly assertive camper. What tools are available to ensure the quiet one shares and the assertive one values others views? o Taking turns at the roles of builder, finder, programmer, debugger, tester. o More formal brainstorming, perhaps writing on cards rather than talking. o Put the quiet one in charge of some part of the task. The non-questioning camper who is not showing initiative. The mean camper or campers, who may be derisive, or pair up to exclude a teammate. o The putdown rule for every putdown, there must be three putups. Be sure to stand there and listen to them o The contribution calculation ask each team member what valuable skills or knowledge the other members bring to the team insist they come up with something. Often teams, like real-world engineers, divide along lines of hardware (builders) versus software (programmers). o You do not have to be best friends to work together in a civil manner. Be careful of Be polite too many girls see that as Go along to get along, and are afraid that saying no or expressing a difference of opinion is automatically rude. Engineering progress, however, is driven by differences of opinion and perception. Girl Scouts - Columbia River Council, Inc Reproduce and use with permission /

5 Leadership Leadership is not inherited, it is learned. All of us can be leaders if we first learn to be followers. Even to be a good follower, you must acquire the basic habits of leadership. Most everyone can, by practice, acquire some of these habits. What are these habits? 1. Being tolerant. 2. Being open-minded and also decisive. 3. Being courteous and dependable. 4. Delegating responsibility. 5. Recognizing and developing talents in others. 6. Making constructive use of criticism. 7. Knowing the value of preparation, teamwork, and respect for procedures. 8. Accepting difficulties and working on positive solutions to challenges. 9. Dealing with mistakes cheerfully and frankly. 10. Budgeting of time and energy through planning, implementation (doing) and evaluating (discussing what went well and what did not). 11. Instilling confidence and retaining a sense of humor. 12. Being able to take the blame as well as the credit, when it is yours to take. 13. Helping people work toward goals. 14. Sharing skills and talents. 15. Encouraging, supporting, and affirming all ideas and efforts. 16. Being generous with offering and accepting assistance. 17. Providing resources and information where appropriate. 18. Coordinating, assisting, leading, and following as necessary Do you have any of these skills? Are there others you possess? Girl Scouts - Columbia River Council, Inc Reproduce and use with permission /

6 19. Characteristics by Program Age Level Brownie Girl Scouts Ages 6-9 Grades 1st 3rd Intellectual Emotional Social Physical Rapidly developing vocabulary Starting to Read Vivid Imaginations Interested in make believe and fantasy Moods change from minute to minute Needs lots of praise and encouragement Exploring the difference between good and bad Could react negatively to too much direction Enjoys playing in groups Starts to be independent from families Likes to help other girls Wants to have many friends Begins to choose one best friend Can draw shapes Learning to trace objects Can reproduce letters and words Can mold clay Can throw a ball Learning to ride a bike Girl Scouts - Columbia River Council, Inc Reproduce and use with permission /

7 Characteristics by Program Age Level Junior Girl Scouts Ages 9 12 Grades 3rd 6th Intellectual Emotional Social Physical Can focus for an extended period of time Writing fluently Complex reading Able and want to make their own decisions Enjoys having the opportunity to be a leader Has complex and sustained emotions Can see other s emotions Personality is taking shape Much more independent Wants to be heard without being judged Is choosing a solid group of friends Want to work in partnership with adults Are very aware of peers opinion and are swayed by it Some girls are starting to develop; others still look very young Good fine motor skills Learning or perfecting cursive Bodies can endure more activity for longer periods of time Girl Scouts - Columbia River Council, Inc Reproduce and use with permission /

8 Working with younger girls and group behavior management Learn their names Use the Girl Scout quiet sign and speak in quiet tones Keep at the girls eye level Permit feelings to be expressed Learn to respond respectfully Be careful in labelling any girl Learn to be a good listener, which means waiting and really hearing Plan ahead Keep activities short and varied Build on the strengths of each girl Teach sharing skills Give hlep in small doses and allow girls to learn by experience Support their ideas and interests Give simple directions Allow the appropriate amount of time for activities Build in a transition time for noise and disruption when you change activities Cheer when a girl achieves something that is important for her Encourage respect for differing cultural, ethnic and racial backgrounds Set ground rules and expectations that are fair and everyone agrees to follow Praise desired behavior When the participants are unruly, sit quietly; let them know you are ready when they are Focus on the positive aspects of each girl Be sure the girls understand directions Do not pretend to know everything Allow for disagreement Avoid sarcasm and criticism Why positive language? If a child knows what she can do, then she can take action on that. If all she knows is what not to do, she cannot take action! Use the Girl Scout Law as a reminder to reinforce the rules. Girl Scouts - Columbia River Council, Inc Reproduce and use with permission /

9 Girl Scout Problem Solving Model If your group is facing a big challenge or has an issue they cannot agree on, use the steps below. You can even make a poster of these steps. G Gather the facts Brainstorm on a big piece of paper if it would help your group to have a visual. Be sure that all sides of the story are represented. I Indicate if this problem cannot be solved with only the girls and you Think of as many ways the problem can be solved as you can. You may have to include other adults to act as mediator or objective listener. R Recommend possible solutions together These are the consequences. Some may have a positive impact, and some may have a negative impact. L Look for a mutually agreeable solution You can make many kinds of decisions: you can decide for the group, the group can vote democratically, or each person may take a moment to say what her opinion is, until everyone in the group is convinced of the same opinion. The last type of decision is consensus. S Solved? Take action to make the solution happen Let the girls in your group try to implement their decisions on their own, and provide guidance and reminders to keep them accountable and thus responsible for what I say and do when needed. More ideas: If your group becomes unmanageable, try sitting in a circle to discuss what everyone CAN DO to make the problem better. Develop a warning system, if necessary. Give them two warnings, and then the third time they act out, send them back to the childcare staff. Make sure you follow through. The point is so that everyone knows what the consequences are for the choices they make. Keep in mind that disruptive girls and NOT Bad Girls. Maybe they are upset about something that happened earlier in the day, or at home or at school. Ask. It is not your Girl Scouts - Columbia River Council, Inc Reproduce and use with permission /

10 job to be their therapist, but you can be sensitive to their needs. Maybe being disruptive is the only way they know how to ask for the attention they need. Give each girl a clean slate in your mind every time you see them! Problem solving questions: 1. During a meeting, a girl starts behaving inappropriately and other girls become distracted by her behavior. What are some options? 2. There is a girl who is very quiet and appears to be very shy. What might you do to bring her into the activities and interact with the other girls? 3. A girl decides she does not want to participate at all. What should you do? 4. The group is playing a game. One girl is not playing by the rules set. What should you do? 5. You are leading an activity that requires a certain level of skill and some of the girls are not doing very well. What should you do? 6. While you are leading an activity, a small group starts to complain. What should you do? 7. While you are leading an activity, you discover that the girls to not really understand. It is not working the way you planned. What should you do (or have done)? Girl Scouts - Columbia River Council, Inc Reproduce and use with permission /

11 Teaching Anything! 1. Decide what to cover. 2. Choose a presentation format for your specific audience. 3. Have a plan. 4. Have a materials list. 5. Organize everything. 6. Practice. Activity Planning 1. Choose a Program Age Level. 2. How many girls are you serving? 3. Where are you going? 4. How will you get there? 5. What are you doing? 6. What will you need? 7. How much does it cost? 8. What are ALL the safety considerations and ratios needed? Girl Scouts - Columbia River Council, Inc Reproduce and use with permission /