While there has been a great deal of new coverage in recent weeks about AI - or Artificial Intelligence, much of it has been critical of how AI is impacting schools. With such apps and programs like Chat GPT disrupting our systems and creating questionable outcomes as to the authenticity of AI generated products, no wonder people are concerned. However, automation, robotics and artificial intelligence are not going away and in fact, in a recent Reader’s Digest article, Fortune Business Insights was quoted that “robots designed for industrial purposes are projected to be a $35.68 billion market by 2029”.
Most of our blog posts have been highlighting the student learning and work by teachers that is going on currently in our schools. This blog post is written using some of the foundational steps the district has taken towards engineering and robotics instruction for students, but it is also highlighting the planning and next steps that our students will be part of. As we entered into the new Middle High School this year, one space that remained underutilized is the workshop space that sits in the middle of the Fine and Performing Arts wing and behind the auditorium. Meant to be a flexible space with over 3000 sq. feet, it is built with a workshop in mind and with the capacity to be used for a variety of learning experiences, both during classes in the school day, but also after school. With an infrastructure of the proper electrical wiring and plumbing for some exciting tools and equipment to be added, the space is almost like a blank canvas for a robotics and engineering workshop. This year, our middle school students used the space for the introductory robotics elective class, where we used SPIKE Lego kits for students to build and code based on a task, with options for solutions. The classes were taught by Shawn MacDonald, a Middle School Science teacher, and Lisa Ward, a High School Biology teacher. Both teachers have engineering and STEM backgrounds beyond their science backgrounds and the students did some impressive work.
During the year Middle School students used the engineering design process to complete a series of varied activities. Each unit consisted of a progression of simple guided lessons to a culminating open-ended project where students could incorporate each element learned in a creative device. They designed and programmed robots that sorted packages by color, picked up items from one location and dropped them off at another location, followed a pathway from a map, used cloud data to display weather patterns, and tracked physical activities. They were able to connect these in-class activities to real-world applications and were able to find creative solutions to problems they have personally experienced.
Planning for High School
Establishing a foundation of courses for middle school students, sets the stage for more advanced learning for high school students with the capacity to connect multiple other classes to robotics. While we have been teaching coding, advanced coding, and computer science with AP options, robotics classes will give a different purpose for students who have taken those computer classes. Pentucket is applying to MA DESE to earn the designation of Innovative Pathway for Biology and Life Science but also Robotics & Advanced Manufacturing. This designation would help us outline a set of courses with options for students that would give them industry driven learning expectations with application in mind. It also requires advanced courses, such as Advanced Placement or Dual Enrollment College courses to be part of that work by making the connections for students to help prepare them for industry demands they will pursue through college programs centered on these fields. Students engaged in the Pathways will also be required to participate in internships with the district developing relationships with multiple corporate, municipal, and industry partners.
As we develop the classes, Pentucket is adding a new teacher for the High School who will solely focus on teaching the robotics and engineering classes meant to fulfill these requirements. The addition of a teacher will create space for further curriculum development and bring expertise into the classrooms. Students will be able to take these classes whether they are part of the pathway program or not, as many students explore their options as they move through high school. An example of a basic high school level course, students will be asked to use a more advanced kit than the Lego kits to build and solve a manufacturing need. The VEX kits seen below, will build from the experience many students would have had in Middle School and begin to use more of their academic skills they will be learning in math classes, computer science classes and other science classes.
The model the district is developing for students may be customized to the needs of the district and students, but it is not without leveraging successful programs and approaches from other schools. One highly successful robotics program that many schools in MA and across the country participate with is called FIRST or FRC Robotics Competition. Pentucket will be establishing their own FIRST team - The Aluminum Panthers - to compete in the 2024 season which officially starts next January. The classroom space for the robotics classes will also serve as the workshop for this newly formed team. It could be best described as the varsity robotics team, with students committing many hours for a multiple month season to design a robot using CAD, so that it can complete tasks outlined in the competition and playing field. Then they build the robot with some starter components, but largely by sourcing and assembling the parts, wiring it, coding it and then developing a strategy to compete with it.
For students who find the classes and learning during the day to be interesting and exciting, the FRC Team will be a powerful outlet and opportunity for them. There are many aspects to being part of the team and none of the students are expected to have expertise or even interest in all phases and aspects of the design, build, and competition. In fact, the letter “I” in FIRST stands for “Inspiration” which is intended to describe how FRC teams should rely on adult mentors through the process. Typically these mentors are engineers, programmers, or other industry professionals who commit time and effort to support the young and aspiring engineers. The network of FRC mentors is vast with strong affiliations to hundreds of companies and colleges across the country. There is also extensive research about the impact that FRC has on students and their future plans in college and the associated fields.
Research on impact of FIRST - https://www.firstinspires.org/about/impact
Industry Grade Equipment and Tools
As the curriculum for public middle and high school’s changed over the past 20 years, hands-on work with tools has been diminished. For students to gain that experience and opportunity, they have had to attend vocational or technical high schools, such as Whittier and Essex Tech, where students engage in learning for industry credentialing. At Vocational schools students spend half their time in academic classes and the other half in vocational exploratory or industry preparation classes, with in- the-field - experiences as well. Our goal with this pathways program is to provide students with BOTH, the opportunity to engage in high level and advanced academic studies and pursuits, while also learning how to use tools, equipment, and technology that is of industry quality. While the classes and experiences will not provide industry credentials enabling a graduate to work immediately in the field, it will give them first hand experience, exposure, and connections to academics, while also connecting to applications in the workforce.
The district has applied for the Capital Skills Grant which is intended to support the acquisition, installation and training for industry grade equipment that would align with the advanced classes and experiences with manufacturing and robotics. With or without the grant, we will begin to outfit the space into a robotics and manufacturing lab and workshop. Below are some images of the equipment we expect to provide to the program. Beyond basic hand tools and typical power tools, like drills and saws, we anticipate the installation of a waterjet saw, a lathe, various 3D printers, carbon fiber 3D printers, milling machines and a CNC router. All of this equipment would be consistent with the tools used in various robotics and manufacturing industries and will require the students to apply technology skills and enhanced knowledge. This equipment will be used by both classes and the FRC team, as the team manufactures a competitive robot.
Industry Partners
One aspect that will be added to the existing programming, is the formalization of senior internships as part of the Innovative Pathways. While many Pentucket students have participated in internships during their senior year, our district will develop several memorandums of understanding with various companies, local and state agencies and institutions that will provide our students with work-like learning within the related fields. In some cases these internships may even be paid. Much of this is through the coordination with MASSHire, our regional labor workforce board. It was our initial collaboration with the Merrimack Valley Career Center for MASSHire that helped us to identify the in-demand industries, such as the Bio/Life Science and the Advanced Manufacturing/Robotics, that led to the plan related to the industries for our region.
The partnerships with industries have multiple layers and benefits for both the students and the businesses. It will provide a consistent platform for communication for our programs to ensure that students are engaged with learning that will prepare them for the workforce and further technical or advanced learning related to various fields. Students will be able to complete internships and real-world learning experiences on site or through coordination with various agencies and industry partners. The partnerships may also become a source of employees for the various businesses as well.
Pathways with advanced courses and connections
For many students, advanced coursework such as AP classes, may feel elusive or too demanding. One of the goals of this pathway approach is to remove those barriers and support students in their pursuit of the pathway. By connecting hands-on and real world learning with the more challenging and advanced academic classes, we hope to engage more students than ever before to take college credit eligible classes. We are completing our first year of a partnership with MA Insight, a non-profit that supports the expanded offering of AP courses. The partnership has provided our teachers with rigorous professional development and coaching on effective methods to teach AP courses, in particular to students who may have traditionally shied away from such classes. The partnership has also provided our students with a network of support, such as Saturday study sessions and practice exams. Pentucket even hosted two Saturday sessions focused on the sciences, which were widely attended by Pentucket students and students from 6 other area high schools. Beyond the AP classes, we have also established multiple dual enrollment courses that will be aligned with the pathway options for students. Students enroll in classes taught at Pentucket but may also access college credit from SNHU or Merrimack College.
We will look to build out the course sequences next year, developing more class options for students and making a roadmap that makes this work enticing for students. Students will need to complete a minimum of 4 classes related to the pathway, 2 of which will need to be advanced classes - either AP or a Dual Enrollment class. We will work from our existing classes, which include Electrical Engineering, Engineering Design, Physics (both college prep and AP), and Computer Science (both college prep and AP) then start adding classes and our new HS level Robotics I class will be the first step. Our Guidance Counselors will also play a key part in this work, using Naviance as a system to help students map out their course work to meet their future goals. Our Guidance staff have already done some training for two years with a MA DESE Supported approach called MyCAP, which stands for My Career Academic Plan.
Exciting Next Steps
There are many moving parts of all of this work and we expect students will learn more next year and we will be actively engaging both the parents and students with what it all means. We will also be looking to our families and community partners for support. Many engineering, technology and manufacturing related companies provide significant financial support for programs like FIRST robotics competitions and we will seek to leverage that. As we learn more, we will share more. We hope that our school community will come together to support the work of our students and staff but also to celebrate the success that we see.
Brent Conway
Assistant Superintendent