Project 2: Lesson 1- Vocabulary

Preparing Students for the Workforce

Today's students are tomorrow's designers, engineers, programmers, and scientists. Implementing building activities within the classroom cultivates both hard skills and soft skills that will benefit students in the workplaces of the future, both within the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) field and beyond. Hard skills include the technical and practical skills required to successfully complete a task, while soft skills are the behavioral skills necessary for effective communication and collaboration. While hard skills are often explicitly taught, soft skills are mainly learned through experience and exposure. Let's take a closer look at what hard skills and soft skills you can help students cultivate as they complete robotics activities within the classroom.

Hard Skills

Coding: As students construct VEX robots, they will learn to code the robots to complete specific challenges that align with real-world use cases. Through the coding platform VEXcode, designed by VEX Robotics, students can code using block-based coding or Python commands. As students develop competency in coding and improve their skills, they will grow increasingly prepared for the workforce.

Scientific Inquiry: Through conducting experiments, gathering data, and drawing scientific conclusions, students will grow in science inquiry skills. As students build robots and complete STEM activities, students have opportunities to observe, predict, check, record, and communicate outcomes. Scientific inquiry and analysis are important for employees across all fields. Through scientific inquiry and analysis, students will learn to formulate and find the answers to questions about the natural and physical world. For more information on fostering science inquiry, see these VEX Library articles:

Data Analysis: Whether students are completing industrial automation activities with the VEX CTE Workcell or completing STEM Labs using VEX GO, IQ, or EXP/V5, students will collect, analyze, interpret, and draw significant conclusions from data. With recent advancements in technology, especially in artificial intelligence(AI), data-driven decision making has become increasingly important in the workplace to identify patterns, trends, and correlations within workforce data.

Engineering Design: As students build, test, and run projects, they will grow in fundamental engineering design skills. Through activities using the VEX Continuum, students will identify problems, develop solutions, and optimize solutions through testing and evaluation. For more information about the Engineering Design Process (EDP) and methods to effectively implement the EDP in the classroom, view the following VEX Library articles:

Mathematical Reasoning: As students operate the 6-Axis Arm, they will gain proficiency in mathematical concepts and problem-solving through using the Arm's coordinate system. While mathematical reasoning is a skill that will especially benefit those who plan to enter STEM professions, this skill is also important within non-STEM professions, as it helps people develop critical thinking skills, and logical reasoning skills. For more on fostering mathematical reasoning, see the following VEX Library articles:

Soft Skills

The most important soft skills identified by industry experts include the following:

• Communication: Effective communication in the workplace is crucial to ensure projects flow efficiently and that all colleagues have the information they need to perform well. As students work together to construct robots, they will need to learn how to effectively ask for what they need, determine who is responsible for which tasks, and provide constructive feedback or clarification when necessary. For more information, see the following resources on how to facilitate effective communication amongst your students during STEM activities:

Creativity: The ability to think outside of the box and develop innovative solutions is critical to success in the workplace. As students encounter challenges and obstacles, resist the urge to immediately give students the correct answer or solve the problem for them. Allow students to work together to develop unique solutions to the challenges they encounter. To learn more about the importance of iterative problem solving in the classroom and ways that you can foster creative problem solving, see the following VEX Library articles:

Adaptability: Employees must easily adapt to change to solve problems and increase efficiency in the workplace. In the cutting-edge world of the STEM field where new technologies are frequently designed and implemented, employees must be able to respond quickly to change, embrace innovation, and build resilience. Through trial and error within STEM activities, students will learn to adapt their robot builds to meet new challenges, change their focus to new priorities, and create new strategies to overcome unexpected obstacles. Exploration and experimentation will be the gateways to continuous learning as students adapt their approaches to completing specific tasks based on new information.

According to a survey of STEM employers, 72% stated that soft skills are as important as technical skills when making hiring decisions. This shift highlights the importance of well-rounded professionals who can navigate the challenges of the modern workplace. Through teaching STEM and career and technical education (CTE) courses, you can empower the next generation to succeed in the workforce within STEM fields and beyond. For engaging resources organized by VEX platform, explore the VEX Library's Education Resources, and join the PD+ Community to converse with educators from all around the world!