Targhee Posted May 25, 2014 Share Posted May 25, 2014 Oldest DD competed last year on a FLL team which was sponsored by the Girls Scout council - there was a coach, a small team (4 total), and all I had to do was take her to and from things. We did help her a little bit with getting the basics of how to program the robot, but mainly it was procedural and then she was off and running. Their team did well at regionals, but two of the girls are not returning and neither is the coach. So, DH and I are thinking of coaching a FLL team. Can anyone with FLL experience give me tips, pointers, ideas, etc? How to facilitate a practice session? How to give everyone time with the robot? How to make sure everyone helps with the research and creative solution? How to inspire and instruct without telling the kids what to do? Any great wisdom of experience? Do I just let them play to figure things out, or do we talk about how to program or how simple machines work? I never really hung around for DDs practices before. We have two other homeschool friends who are committed, plus my two kids (DS 9 wants to do it as well), and I don't think we will have any trouble finding maybe 2 more. I don't want the team to be huge because we will have only one robot and one playing table, and I won't have enough for 10 kids to do each meeting. One of the committed kids' dad is a carpenter and will build the table. We are buying the EV3. I think I can count on one of the moms to do team shirts/hats/etc. TIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted May 29, 2014 Author Share Posted May 29, 2014 Really, no one has dipped their toe in the FLL coaching waters?? I'm not asking for strategies for making a competitive team - I am hoping to get some logistical advice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flaura Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 We had a similar experience in that our eldest participated in FLL one year and we coached a team for him the following year. It is a significant investment in time and money to field a team. We handled the business side of it by registering the team and paying for the equipment(the fees and board etc). Our ds basically ran the team in terms of interacting with the kids and planning their strategy. Once responsibilities were decided the individual members were responsible for fulfilling them. We met twice monthly in the beginning then every week after thanksgiving. We had a member who was in public school so we couldn't meet much more than that. Over Christmas break they worked three to four days a week to compete in January. I'm not sure we could do it again next year - it was expensive and time consuming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shage Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 Really, no one has dipped their toe in the FLL coaching waters?? I'm not asking for strategies for making a competitive team - I am hoping to get some logistical advice. I've coached for 5 years. Shhh, don't tell anyone, but I don't really like robots. I do like the kids though. My strategy has been to have a fabulous co-coach who handled the technical end of things: robot design and programming. I handled paperwork, teamwork, and the project. Several years my co-coach has been busy and so then the kids mostly learned from books. They did very well those years, btw. Pretty much the same as when we are more hands on. The secret to letting the take ownership? Walk away into the next room and let them figure it out. We usually build the research project around the best fieldtrip(s) we can arrange. I am all about the fieldtrips, lol. We have done some really fun ones over the years. A typical schedule was meeting Sept-Mid November, 2x week, 2 hours each time. Snack break in the middle or at the end. If the kids progressed on to state, then we would take a break and do a couple of weeks in December, then Jan-early Feb. Our team is pretty much self funding via recycling and one Geek Night each year. (Adults make a donation to play with the robots and stage a mini competition with potluck meal provided.) We've had really fun families. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCB Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 No experience with FLL - and not much with FTC - but we are in the process of starting an FTC team. My dd has been part of one at school for the last 2 years. We're just finding our way, there's quite a lot of information on the FIRST website. Also. I don't know how to link it, but I started a thread about starting an FTC team and got lots of useful advice which would probably apply to FLL also. If you search for FTC you should find it. I think it was on the general education board. We just had the wonderful fortune of someone coming to the garage sale we were holding, for fund raising, and give us a check for the full amount we needed! I still haven't gotten over that - it was amazing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.m Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 My DH is a coach but I don't really know much about the coaching side. FLL offers coach training that is helpful. You'll meet other coaches and can ask a lot of questions. I do know that our group does the work in stations and rotate throughout the meeting. More experienced kids help by mentoring and training at the stations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 My oldest dds started their robotics careers on an FLL team, and then graduated to an FRC team. Two years ago, we started an FLL team of our own in our home for youngest, with oldest co-coaching with her young man. This past year we expanded that to middle dd taking on a team at the local elementary, and our family running some summer camps and mentoring four other teams in the area (including a coach's training night, scrimmage, and FAQ night.) Oldest also coaches four FTC teams and just handed presidency of her FRC team over to middle. I mentor the FRC team and drive coach, as well as helping mentor FLL coaches in the area and helping organize the local tournament and state tournament. We are all about the FIRST Robotics here. :D We had an NXT which we used, but ds is buying a new one. For the rest of the funds, we charge $50 per student to cover t-shirts and miscellaneous items, and we cover registration either out of pocket or (in the case of the school team) from a sponsor. I like to keep the teams at about 6 students. Middle dd's team had 10 because we had so much interest, and that was way too many. We had four on a team, and that was almost too few. Part of what you are judged on is teamwork, and it is hard to show teamwork without a decent sized team. We had very specific plans for the practices. Dd scheduled it out, based on the very successful team they had been on when they were younger. They worked on all three areas (teamwork, research, robot) at all practices. We like to have all students work on all aspects, but some teams have students specialize. To me, FLL students are young enough that they should be exposed to every aspect. Oldest joined for the research and teamwork part and ended up falling in love with computer programming, for example. :) I would reach out to your state FLL organization and see what type of help is available. Some states have a lot - trainings and workshops and such - and some not so much. There are a lot of great books for the robot side of the program, and it is great if students can work through those before you start the challenge. The one best piece of advice I can give to make sure you follow the rule about students doing the work is to answer their questions with questions and/or never touch the robot or computer. Dd coaches with her hands clasped behind her back. :D I like to give them options and then have them pick one or ask them if they have tried x, then y, then z? Dd was supposed to be creating a site with all of her training materials, but it hasn't happened yet. :D I will get some of them from her and post them. She has a lot of great ideas for the non-robot side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted May 29, 2014 Author Share Posted May 29, 2014 Dd was supposed to be creating a site with all of her training materials, but it hasn't happened yet. :D I will get some of them from her and post them. She has a lot of great ideas for the non-robot side. This would be wonderful!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obsidian Posted May 29, 2014 Share Posted May 29, 2014 I was on an FLL team for two years and have mentored for...many years, so I can give you an idea of a normal meeting, at least. We usually met twice a week all season (with a decent amount of work to do at home between meetings). The two or three weeks before competition we met every day. This meeting schedule is probably overkill, if you're not worried about being extremely competitive. Usually, we would start the meeting with research. We would go over homework, discuss ideas and assign homework. We would start broadly researching the topic, then researching our narrow topic, then contacting professionals with our idea, developing our solution, and finally writing our skit. our team should also make sure that they keep track of resources. You will want a list of resources for the judges, and it is a very large pain for each member to go back through computer history trying to find resources. The kids should be able to clearly explain their solution and WHY it works, not just HOW it works. As an example, the food safety project saw a lot of people using UV rays to kill bacteria. Most teams did not know why the UV rays killed bacteria, just that they did. Field trips are VERY important. Try to go to at least a few early in the season -- it will really help you narrow down your project. If you ask professionals the biggest problems in their field, they'll usually give you a few ideas feasible for a project. After you have some idea of a project, more field trips to ask professionals' opinions can be helpful, or just find experts in your specific field and call/email them. Sharing the team's solution is also important. Sharing the solution with experts counts. Putting a video of your project presentation on YouTube counts. Presenting to church, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, etc counts. After discussing research, we did a teamwork exercise every meeting. Odyssey of the Mind spontaneous problems are helpful for this. I'd also be willing to type up a list of teamwork exercises if this would be helpful for you, but I do not have one on hand. Before building the robot, brainstorm a list of characteristics that will help it excel in the missions, choose the most important ones, and make sure the robot has them. A sturdy, stable robot is extremely important. With programming -- use sensors. They will greatly enhance the robot's reliability. If you have any more specific questions, please, feel free to ask. If you would like, I believe I have books (robot, project, and core values) my team compiled for the judges with relevant information. That may give you an idea of the program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted May 29, 2014 Author Share Posted May 29, 2014 If you have any more specific questions, please, feel free to ask. If you would like, I believe I have books (robot, project, and core values) my team compiled for the judges with relevant information. That may give you an idea of the program.Thank you for all the helpful information! I likely will have more questions in the future, so I really appreciate feeling like I can come back here for more help. Thank you all!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 My husband and I coached for four years. Our last year the team won the state championship. We are both still involved in FLL through judging at regional and state championships. Our son often volunteers as the scorekeeper at these events as well. As for logistics: 1 robot is required, 2 is very helpful We met twice a week Aug - Oct. then three times a week from Nov - state championships. Often we would meet every day the week of the state championships. Designate an adult as "treasurer" of your group. There is more money involved than you might think. Not only are there robots & various LEGO parts, but there are team t-shirts, presentation supplies, research supplies, entry fees, travel expenses, etc.. We simply split expenses evenly among the students (not by family, we had some sibling groups and they were charged per student to be fair to those who didn't have siblings on the team). Find out who is "in the know" about how the program runs in your state. It might be the FLL Partner, it might be someone else. Mine them for helpful information and tips. Try to meet with other coaches as you go through the season - it really helps! Require your parents to volunteer with your team - some ideas would be as a rotating chaperone during meetings, providing snacks (providing, serving, cleaning), organizing field trips; running errands, the opportunities are almost endless. Don't take on those responsibilities yourself. Strongly suggest, if not require, that your parents volunteer at regional and state competitions. These events run on volunteer power - every single person you see there is a volunteer. Volunteers at competitions work registration, act as hall monitors, check off equipment, act as timers, judge, escort teams, etc.. Parents can volunteer at events their children are participating in as long as they do act as a judge or timer for your specific team. Even if your team doesn't go to regionals, state, etc. - send parents to volunteer anyway! They will catch the excitement and be further able to encourage the team for the rest of the season. You will get a coach handbook with your field - it is full of valuable information. Read it, memorize it. Make the kids read the rules of the game. Remember you are the facilitator - kids do the work! Let me know if you have any specific questions & I'll be glad to answer them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted May 30, 2014 Author Share Posted May 30, 2014 Let me know if you have any specific questions & I'll be glad to answer them. Thank you! I may rain check this offer for a few months down the road! One more question for all you veterans. How do you handle the assets - the robot, parts, batteries, laptop, etc? Are these property of the team? Are they property of an individual/coach? If so, do you charge tema members for some part of them? What happens to the assets when the team disassembles in a few years? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 Thank you! I may rain check this offer for a few months down the road! One more question for all you veterans. How do you handle the assets - the robot, parts, batteries, laptop, etc? Are these property of the team? Are they property of an individual/coach? If so, do you charge tema members for some part of them? What happens to the assets when the team disassembles in a few years? Our assets belonged to the team. The cost for the robots was split among the team members. We purchased one our first year and a second one the next year. The third year there was a big software update we had to pay for, so we did the same thing. I don't remember if there was a big expense that last year. As far as laptops go, we used our personal laptops. The kids were responsible for backing up the programs to a thumb drive at the end of each practice. When our team dissolved (the kids aged out), we donated our robots, LEGO pieces and old field mats to a team that was just getting started. We had about seven team trophies and made sure that each of the team members who had been on the team from the beginning was able to keep one, then we gave the rest out by seniority. As coaches, we made an "executive decision" that our family could keep the state championship trophy, although it did "visit" the house of each team member for at least a week in the months following the win. It's up on top of our entertainment center now, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TechWife Posted May 30, 2014 Share Posted May 30, 2014 I forgot to add that we did "off season" activities as well. There were several exhibitions, demos and local tournaments that we participated in through the contacts we made at various competitions and get-togethers. Once the project theme is introduced (usually towards the end of one season), the team can start doing some preliminary research and field trips as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted August 2, 2014 Share Posted August 2, 2014 Joining this thread (while holding my breath) . . . starting out my rookie year as a coach for this year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted August 4, 2014 Author Share Posted August 4, 2014 Joining this thread (while holding my breath) . . . starting out my rookie year as a coach for this year! Awesome! I just ordered our Field Kit and Robot... We are going to have a full (10 kids) team. I know them all fairly well, but I am also entering this eyes wide open Best Wishes for your team! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 Found an awesome FREE online class geared at teachers who are new to NXT & FLL: https://cs4hsrobots.appspot.com/course Very helpful! (I'm comfortable with the project part and the core values, but pretty much new to robotics. We will learn together!) I inherited: half of last year's team + full funding + a community location + a handful of support adults We added: rookie coach (me) + 2 maybe 3 brand new team members Here we go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted August 6, 2014 Author Share Posted August 6, 2014 Found an awesome FREE online class geared at teachers who are new to NXT & FLL: https://cs4hsrobots.appspot.com/course Very helpful! (I'm comfortable with the project part and the core values, but pretty much new to robotics. We will learn together!) I inherited: half of last year's team + full funding + a community location + a handful of support adults We added: rookie coach (me) + 2 maybe 3 brand new team members Here we go! Wow, that's great! I inherited two kids. That's it. We have 8 BRAND NEW to FLL, a new EV3 ordered (last year the kids used NXT), a dad who is building us a table, and several parents who I believe will be involved. And one husband who likes robots. Having practices in our home, no funds. And we are in the throws of making a practice time work. I will have to go and checkout the course you linked. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebel Yell Posted August 6, 2014 Share Posted August 6, 2014 Go to the FLL website and click around- really, check out EVERYTHING! especially these resources: http://www.firstlegoleague.org/challenge/teamresources BabyBaby is on an FTC team. I know a lot of teams spend too much time reinventing the wheel, when what they really need is ready-to-go on the website. :willy_nilly: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iskra Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Dd was supposed to be creating a site with all of her training materials, but it hasn't happened yet. :D I will get some of them from her and post them. She has a lot of great ideas for the non-robot side. I would love to have the training materials as well if possible. I am coaching for the first time this year as well, and the non-robot side is what intimidates me:). I don't even know how to get the kids to do any research. They just want to program and play with the robot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obsidian Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 I would love to have the training materials as well if possible. I am coaching for the first time this year as well, and the non-robot side is what intimidates me:). I don't even know how to get the kids to do any research. They just want to program and play with the robot. One thing that helps with this is having more of a meeting structure. At the beginning of the meeting, discuss the project, assign homework, and discuss homework from the previous week. Go on field trips! Professionals can tell you exactly what problems they see in their field. Often, finding a specific problem is much harder than a decent solution, At the beginning, research will be broad: find a professional in the area to contact, research general problems you can find on the Internet, etc. IME, a specific problem will eventually surface, and then you can get to the business of a workable solution. After meeting for project, do a teamwork activity. Then let them loose on the robot. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy the Valiant Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 First meeting last week went well - now for tomorrow's meeting to discuss the actual challenge! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwg Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 :lurk5: We only meet once a week. Aack! already I feel stressed. lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted August 28, 2014 Author Share Posted August 28, 2014 We are meeting once a week, 2 hours at a time. We will add more if necessary. This week was goo because they got to start brainstorming the challenge. It is SO open-ended this year! They have to agree on something to learn first, and narrowing that down is going to be a struggle. There are a couple of robot missions that look really challenging too. Should be fun. Question for you vets: should the field fit precisely on the table? Ours has a couple inches in the long dimension and at least an inch in the short dimension of extra board space. Did we build the table wrong?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athomeontheprairie Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 Question. What EXACTLY do you get with your $225 registration fee? so you then get a discount on the Lego robots? Does it cover the training materials? Is it worth it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted August 29, 2014 Author Share Posted August 29, 2014 You get access to the competitions (reg fee are additional - ask your local event). You get access to the Field Setup Kit (all non-robot Lego parts and mat for running the missions) - an additional $75. You can also order a robot set that is selected for FLL, though I don't think it's really at a discount. Your $225 is really for things like creation of the Challenge, designing missions, developing the ideas and parameters of the project, training of volunteers, event development, website maintenance, etc. This is not a for-profit company. They really do run a top-notch program. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted August 29, 2014 Author Share Posted August 29, 2014 Training materials are free access on the web now. There may be additional free training by your local FLL group (the one who runs tournaments). It is worth it to have such a well designed program for these kids to work on, in a community of good professional values, with others competing in such a great atmosphere and encouraging these kids. Totally worth it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daijobu Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 I didn't want to post at first because I had such a love/hate feeling with FLL. It was overwhelming, and you are wise to tap the Hive for info and advice before beginning. Part of my problem was I thought it was a robotics competition. I was caught off guard by what is essentially a science fair tacked on. I seriously burned out, mainly because I felt obligated to catch up with school coaches who had been doing this for years. It's a steep learning curve, and I just didn't feel very competent. If either of my dd's asked to do it again, I'd do it, but since they were okay with their other activities, I've dropped it. Having said that... My team had a blast! I was also impressed that the judges and teams truly take seriously their commitment to their core value of Gracious Professionalism. At least in our neighborhood, treating everyone with kindness is modeled and rewarded. I do so miss that from FLL, and haven't really seen it anywhere else. Best of luck to you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwg Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Our first year was very overwhelming! So much so that we needed a year break to recover, lol. We are trying again this year and feel much better. What are some field trips people are doing/have done? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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