Elementary students were not ready for the excitement of the Olympics to end, so we continued the fun in elementary technology classes. Third and fifth grade students were given a series of robotics challenges inspired by events in the Olympics including basketball, obstacle courses, dancing, speed skating, mazes, and bowling. Students creatively designed their own mazes and dances, building them collaboratively with their partners. They also worked together to break down problems into smaller parts.  

Lots of persistence was involved, as students had to work together to problem solve using the “Test and Learn” strategy. First, students asked questions to understand the problem. Next, students created a plan, or algorithm, to complete the challenge. Then, students tested out their plans with the robots.  Finally, students asked themselves what they learned. If needed, they repeated the cycle, adjusting their plans.

As the teacher, the best parts of the Robot Olympics were the unexpected ways that students designed challenges and solved problems creatively. One student coded his own dance to the YMCA song.  Another gathered extra materials to design a maze with walls. Students developed resilience, as the problems were not always easy to solve. It was inspiring to see how students helped and encouraged each other when they came upon a challenge. One group of students realized that the launch feature was not working properly for the basketball challenge, so they took apart the accessories to break down the problem and come up with their own solution. Best of all, the students had so much fun while participating in the Olympics. It was a privilege to watch as they applied real-world skills in technology classes. We look forward to the next opportunity to learn with robotics!