I share these opinions. Last year we decided that the coaches would not 
enter the room with the kids during the design, research, and teamwork 
presentations. Nor did we have a parent video tape these events. We 
wanted to reinforce the notion that the kids were the team and their 
performance was theirs alone. I'll tell you it was tough to sit outside 
and wonder how it was going. It was also tough since we weren't able to 
provide feedback to the team members for things that coaches should be 
doing, such as "Make sure you speak up when you talk." and "Even if you 
don't agree with what he was saying, a gracious professional doesn't 
roll their eyes." Overall, I would say it worked for our team. However, 
we received very little in the way of feedback from any of the judges 
that the kids could identify with.

I appreciate that it is a long day for the judges and it's often hard to 
find volunteers to do the judging in the first place. I like the idea of 
presenting them with a form that can be easily completed for each team 
that gives the team feedback. It would not have to be fancy and could be 
primarily a set of check boxes that highlights the elements that worked 
well and what needed to be improved. The project rubric provides an 
excellent starting point for such a form.

I'm willing to take a stab at creating a feedback form if the collective 
wisdom felt it would be useful (and would be used).

Sincerely,
John



Ginny Echelberger wrote:
>
> Mike wrote:
>
> <From the kids' perspective, though, the two things that matter in 
> terms of performance are their robot scores and whether they were 
> given awards. >
>
> To add to that, and I might even put it ahead of both of those 
> items…the kids care about having the judges “actively listen” to them 
> in their presentation and interviews. They love sharing their hard 
> work and what they have learned (even if they are nervous) because 
> that accomplishment is what they will long after remember. If no one 
> seems to listen, they will remember that, too. So please, I’m asking 
> every coach and judge to listen to the team members’ stories, look 
> them in the eye with kindness and ask them questions so they know you 
> are listening. That’s how to really get them excited and inspired to 
> delve further into science and technology and to help them develop 
> their confidence. Team members can do the same for their fellow 
> competitors and they might be pleasantly surprised at what they learn. 
> Everyone can take on the responsibility and play a role in making the 
> day of competition a wonderful experience for all.
>
> Ginny Echelberger
>
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-- 

John J. Barrett
Industrial Medium, Inc.
1616 Anderson Road
McLean, VA 22102

(c) 703-231-5094
(p) 703-286-0818
(f) 703-286-0888

http://www.industrialmedium.com

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