STEM Class Helps 7th Graders Build Real World Skills

For seventh-grade students in Mrs. Roderick’s STEM class, learning comes through hands-on activities, collaboration, and thinking outside the box. Students recently worked with a partner to construct a VEX IQ Clawbot and applied their critical thinking skills to navigate unforeseen challenges along the way. While building their Clawbots, students brainstormed to improve the overall design and build modifications before using block programming to code their robots. The VEX robots have been used extensively and do not always operate as expected, providing students with a great opportunity to sharpen their problem-solving skills together. Demonstrating effective communication skills, creativity, grit, and determination, students managed each obstacle successfully and employed a variety of methods, such as using a troubleshooting flow chart, consulting websites, or YouTube videos, and in some cases, contacting tech support. After successfully building and programming their Clawbots, the students were excited to employ their robotic creations in a fun and spirited competition! Congratulations to our 7^th-grade STEM class students for their perseverance and excellent work!