Lego Robotics Inspire Student Creativity At Jefferson Elementary
Jefferson Elementary School’s Lego Robotics, an after-school program, is made up of students working in teams to create and program Lego robots using Lego Mindstorms kits and NXT programming. These fourth, fifth, and sixth graders work on various challenges, from navigating through a maze, to teaching their robots how to hit a ball with a good golf swing.
Problem-solving is crucial, because many of the tasks are difficult and require many steps. Teamwork is also essential, since some students find building the bots more of an intuitive skill, while others have a natural knack for the programming side of things.
Currently, the Jefferson Lego Robotics group is finishing up with one final, open-ended challenge: to design a battle bot that will outsmart opponents! This requires that teams pool all their knowledge from the year to compete. Designs vary widely, according to the groups’ strengths. Since they are only allowed to use three motors in their design, they have to think through different strategies.
“Regardless of the task of the week, Lego Robotics has been a blast this year!” said Mr. Shawn Longenberger, Jefferson fourth grade teacher and Lego Robotics adviser.