Why Competition?
Competitions provide rules and guidance as to what needs to be learned or accomplished. There is a defined environment with rules and winners. It feels good to win and to have a yardstick for success. Collaborative projects at the middle and high school level help students feel connected and part of a tribal identity. Mastery of a skill set builds reputation and self confidence helping develop a sense of fitting in. It provides affirmations of the student's personal journey as well as opportunities to share and support others. Students who feel connected, valued and supported in their identity are less likely get into trouble.
Competition helps prepare children for life. The taste of victory is sweet and a core source of motivation for some but then, not everyone wins. Life is filled with disappointment. Learning to deal with disappointment is essential to living an emotionally healthy life. Sometimes a loss is exactly what is needed to drive focus and motivation to do better. We all love a good comeback story about the last placed team that doubles their efforts and is rewarded with the championship. Teams are made up of individuals with different strengths and weaknesses, with different interests and skill sets. A strong team embraces the best qualities and talents of everyone involved. In the case of a competitive robotics team, not only do you need those who are good at building, programming, wiring, but also those who are good at designing, documenting, organizing, sourcing, marketing, and branding. Skill in art and speaking are just as valuable as technical knowledge. Learning to work together and to be responsible to the group are skills which are good for society as well as personal success. |
"The key to our nation’s success won’t come from channeling an indiscriminate mass of students along one track toward college, especially when we lose 30 percent of them along the way. It will come by combining demanding academics with other educational opportunities, and by creating a class of high school graduates who leave with skills to succeed both in a technical job and in the realm of higher education. It will come by graduating classes of students who have something invested in their own success, and who arrive in the world with a vision and the know-how to achieve it.”
quote from "Career/Technical Education: The Solution to Our Dropout Crisis?,” Education Gadfly, 6 (17), April 27, 2006 http://www.keepingillinoiscompetitive.niu.edu/ilstem/. |
FIRST Student Inventor Presents TED Talk
When Ashton Cofer, 14, delivered a TED Talk during Ted-Ed Weekend, the accomplished innovator shared a lesson he learned from nearly a decade of watching and participating in FIRST® LEGO® League: “You can’t have success without failure.” Ashton’s inspiring TED.com video has received more than 700,000 views.
READ MORE & WATCH »
FIRST Student Inventor Presents TED Talk
When Ashton Cofer, 14, delivered a TED Talk during Ted-Ed Weekend, the accomplished innovator shared a lesson he learned from nearly a decade of watching and participating in FIRST® LEGO® League: “You can’t have success without failure.” Ashton’s inspiring TED.com video has received more than 700,000 views.
READ MORE & WATCH »
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