FIRST LEGO League WA

We are very happy to announce that FIRST LEGO League (FLL) WA has been named as a finalist in the 2020 Premier’s Science Awards. It is a testament to the strong collaborative community of practice around FLL WA that it has been selected as a finalist for the Chevron Science Engagement Initiative of the Year.

What is it?

FLL WA is a STEM project led by Curtin University with eight key partnership schools.  It is part of the international For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) movement.

The program has grown over its seven years from a pilot competition for 56 students, and now culminates in six, day-long qualifying competitions and one State finals competition involving 15,000 students, teachers, mentors and engaged local community members.

Over two school terms, teams of students ages 9-16 engage in two STEM problem-solving challenges. The Robot Challenge is building and programming a LEGO robot that completes missions on a field. The Research Project is to identify and solve a real-world problem.  Both challenges are undertaken with positive, collaborative principles that are celebrated at the high-energy, end-of-season competitions.

Teachers report an improvement in their students STEM discipline skills, and increased student confidence, autonomy, resilience and teamwork. Past FLL WA Research Projects have had realised impacts on community projects.

A range of networking and professional development opportunities are included for teachers, mentors and volunteers.

FLL WA has been a catalyst for a collaborative approach to STEM engagement bringing together universities, schools, local councils and businesses. It is through collaborations like this that we can inspire not just school students but whole communities to value STEM skills and careers.

How do we take part?

Register your team for FLL WA

Team coaches can register teams for the 2020 FLL WA challenge through the FIRST Australia website.

Registration costs for 2020 are:

• AUD$475 for one team with one game kit + shipping
• AUD$575 for two teams sharing one game kit + shipping

Registration includes:

• A LEGO Competition kit, an exclusive selection of LEGO® bricks, the instructions to assemble your mission models, and a roll-out field to practice on.
• Entry into one of the West Australian regional tournaments.

The FLL LEGO Competition kits usually arrive in early August and teams have 10 to 12 weeks to work on the challenges. FLL WA is an incredibly rewarding program for young students, and teams can come from schools, social groups, community groups, homes, etc.

If you want to start a team, there are a few things you will need:

• A dedicated adult coach
• A LEGO SPIKE Prime, Mindstorms EV3, NXT or RCX robot kit
• A place to meet to work on building robots, practicing games and working on the project.

Teams then enter one of the West Australian Regional tournaments taking place in November. Qualifying teams go forward to the finals at Curtin, then potentially onto international tournaments in 2021.

Team registrations will be accepted until all slots are filled.

For further enquiries regarding the FLL WA, contact:

Tim Keely
STEM Outreach Coordinator
t.keely@curtin.edu.au
9266 5815

FLL WA schedule for 2020

We want to thank these partners below for their support in FLL WA.  Without their involvement, none of this can happen.