Robotics is all about trial and error, according to Issah, a member of the Peace Stallions Robotics team of Coral Springs Middle School in Broward County, Florida, at last spring's VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas, Texas.
"You have to have a lot of perseverance, because you're going to fail—like a lot," said Issah.
Throughout the year, students spent countless hours designing, practicing and competing in tournaments to get to the championship. Think varsity level sports or competitive dance.
"Invention doesn't happen overnight," said Seema Naik, Coral Springs Middle School teacher and coach as well as PBS News Hour Invention Education Fellow, adding that STEM and robotics are integral parts of invention and life.
The Peace Stallions robotics team took home the Spirit Award.
"We have this rule, if you do bad, no one says anything—just good job, and you did your best," said Issah.
Additional resources:
- Sign up here for PBS News Hour Classroom's Invention Educator Network where teachers from various subjects and grade levels come together to discuss all things invention & innovation. Check out our Invention Education collection, including lessons on robotics.
- Want to learn more about teaching robotics? Watch this Educator Voice video with Jason McKenna, long-time former teacher and robotics extraordinaire.
- Complete this fun Daily News Lesson with your students: Building a robot: The dedication and drive of one world championship robotics team.
Produced by News Hour's Victoria Pasquantonio with video editing by Stacey Zhang and Gianfranco Beran, Amherst College students and interns with PBS News Hour Classroom.
Cover image courtesy of Seema Naik.
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