ABES Outreach
We held an introduction to robotics workshop at Andres Bonifacio Elementary School (ABES), a local public school hoping to enhance their STEM program. The workshop was requested by a teacher from ABES. We had a turnout of about 50 students from 4th to 6th grade.
I collaborated with my school’s robotics club to gather resources and volunteers. Due to scheduling constraints, we only had 2 weeks to organize everything, but in the end, I think we somehow pulled it off. Everyone left with a smile!
I like to believe we all learned important lessons from each other that day. It definitely helped me hone my teaching methods and realize the privilege I have. Since I led the workshop, I also got to practice my public speaking and comedy skills.
Day-of preparations
We preassembled all of our 11 kits so that the students can get a headstart and focus on programming. We also made a simple sumobot arena by placing electrical tape on the back of a tarpaulin.
Introduction to the EV3 kit
We kicked off the workshop was a brief exploration on the various parts found in an EV3 kit, such as motors, sensors, wheels, beams, etc. The goal was to familiarize the students with the parts and their functions.
Introduction to programming
Afterwards, we transitioned to learning how to make the robots move. EV3 kits come with proprietary software that simplifies the process by allowing users to drag and drop blocks. We went through the different types of blocks and tried some exercises. We covered sensor inputs, motor control, conditional flow, and more.
Teaching session
I presented all of these in front of the packed AV room. The students were divided into tables of 3-6, so we assigned a mentor to each group to help answer any questions they had along the way.
Sumobot challenge
Finally, we wrapped up the workshop with a friendly competition: the classic sumobot. We asked the students to program their robots on their own and gave them the freedom to modify their robots however they wanted. I ended up "hosting" this tournament, which was a ton of fun!