Advertisement

Regina’s Lego League a hit with students

Dozens of grade 4 to 8 students in Regina participated in a robotics competition using Lego. Jules Knox / Global News

Team Cyborg Superhero worked for months to build their Lego legacy.

Students in grades four to eight worked together in teams to program robots that complete certain missions that require moving Lego pieces or navigating specific routes.

“They have sensors that sense the lines on the actual gain table, sensors that sense when it touches something, sensors that do speeds. They program how long the robot moves for, how many rotations of the wheels. It’s very, very complex,” Mark Wernikowski, a science and math consultant with the Regina Catholic School Division, said.

Wernikowski said the Lego league helps students learn important life skills that will help in high school and when they enter the workforce.

“School sometimes seems like memorization for these students, but with these type of opportunities, they get deeper thinking, problem solving, trial and error. It’s a really wonderful chance to learn these skills and apply these skills,” he said.

Story continues below advertisement

Lego has been around for more than 80 years, and Wernikowki credits its success with keeping up with technology.

“When we’re looking at robotics and coding and programming it’s really integrating the classic advantages of Lego with this new technology, and that’s really how we engage students these days,” he said.

As for students, they say, the experience has taught them to never give up.

“It doesn’t just happen. It takes a while, and it’s a lot of trial and error,” Grade 6 student Carsen Reimer said.

“I learned that it’s most important to have fun and that I need to do this with my team, and it’s not just me,” Grade 6 student Zach Selinger said.

Sponsored content

AdChoices