This will be the first year that our school has offered robotics or engineering courses, and the response from our students has been amazing. There is a huge demand for high-quality, practical science courses. This project could help us meet that demand for the next five to ten years.
We are a Title I school in the heart of Brooklyn, which means many of our students come from low income families, and many will be the first in their family to attend college.
Our school is fairly small, with limited resources for additional science or technology resources. We strive for the best using the resources that we have.
My students are extremely interested in the fields of engineering and robotics, but we don't currently have the resources to fully explore those fields. My students are driven and engaged, tackling any problem that I present them with head-on. They are full of questions, and they are always hungry for more knowledge. It has been an exciting challenge for me so far as their teacher to keep up with their appetite for learning. With this project, we would be able to answer more of their questions while further sparking their curiosity.
My Project
This robotics set will provide hands-on learning experiences on an almost daily basis for the students involved in our robotics and engineering program. Using these kits, my students will gain knowledge in subjects such as physics, engineering, computer programming, and applied mathematics.
They will build these robots from the ground up, improving their spatial reasoning abilities. They will program these robots, learning the basics of computer programming which they may develop further in college and beyond. They will confront engineering problems that will require them to think critically and logically, prioritizing and accomplishing tasks in an organized way. All of these are skills that will serve them for the rest of their lives, and they will each be taught in a way that is interesting and engaging for the students. That level of engagement will encourage more students to get involved in this program, improving our entire school's learning environment.
This is a project that has the capability to provide a lasting positive impact on my school and my students for the next five to ten years.
A robotics set like this could encourage students who never thought themselves capable of professional science careers to get involved. It is becoming increasingly important to prepare our students for high-skill technology careers, and a project like this is a huge step in that direction.
More than half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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