VEX Advantages for Grant Funding

When writing your grant proposal, you will need to describe how VEX Robotics will be helpful for your students. This article provides specific information that you can use in your proposal.

The Value of VEX Robotics

There are many funding opportunities available, and each will have their own requirements. No matter which funding option is the best fit, knowing the value of VEX robotics for your classroom will be beneficial to your application.

• STEM Skills and More
  • In addition to STEM topics, students will engage in teamwork, creativity, and problem solving.
• Flexible for Teaching and Learning
  • VEX STEM labs are flexible for in class, after school, and online learning. With STEM Labs designed to be completed within one class period and aligned to standards, teachers can easily work the STEM Labs into their lesson.
• Complete Curriculum, Always Free
  • Each VEX product comes with instructional STEM Labs designed to help students make the most of their robotics experience. STEM Labs are aligned to standards, and teacher resources and guidance is provided for each Lab. STEM Labs are always free.
• Hands-On, from Day One
  • Students have hands-on experience constructing robots from day one. Students will learn how to follow build instructions, work with teams, and integrate spatial reasoning skills into every build.
• Start Coding
  • Students of all ages can learn to code with VEXcode. Whether using block-based or text-based coding, VEXcode is easy to use on any device. Students will learn to code and watch their robots come to life.

The 5 Pillars of VEX Robotics

VEX Robotics offers 5 robotics solutions designed for students from Kindergarten through high school, and beyond. Each VEX robotics product is developed on the 5 Pillars of VEX Robotics, which makes each product comprehensive for students and teachers as well as a consistent experience when used as a continuum.

1. Curriculum—VEX offers free STEM Labs that are easy to follow, comprehensive learning resources for students and teachers.
2. Professional Development—Teachers are always supported with free, online, self-paced certification courses. In addition, educators are also offered PD+ which includes access to the PD+ Library, VEX Insights, and more.
3. VEXcode—Computer Science is a core component of STEM and VEXcode is our coding environment that meets students at their level.
4. Competition—VEX offers competition at all levels, from classroom competitions all the way to the VEX Robotics World Championships.
5. Knowledge Base—With nearly 600 articles, the Knowledge Base helps users quickly find and explore information.

STEM Learning

The study of educational robotics affords a wide variety of learning opportunities because it has STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) as its prerequisites. Robotics is always interdisciplinary in ways that are tangible and applicable to students. Students gain an understanding and knowledge through the connecting of concepts from each of the STEM domains. Activities involving robotics necessitate that students collaborate, think computationally, troubleshoot, and innovate—all fundamental skills for 21st-century learners and, eventually, 21st-century professionals.

STEM Curriculum

VEX STEM Lab Units are research-based, hands-on lessons with guided explorations that encourage teamwork and collaboration and align to educational standards. All STEM Lab Units contain activities that are structured around iteration, engineering design processes, real-world applications and opportunities for students to build teamwork and collaboration skills. STEM Lab Units provide students with hands-on, minds-on engagement that encourages students to design creative solutions and innovate through experimentation. STEM Lab Units are flexible enough to be used in any instructional setting (e.g. in-school, after-school, or camps). VEX STEM Labs are based on three pillars:

1. Engage Students by promoting active learning, immediate hands-on activities, and offering student choice.
2. Teach for Understanding by organizing content around essential questions and specific, measurable learning goals.
3. Research-based Methods for demonstrating competencies, making personal connections, and learning spatial reasoning in STEM.

VEXcode

VEXcode was designed to work seamlessly with VEX Robotics to provide a coding environment appropriate for all ages. STEM Labs provide scaffolded activities for students to learn how to code in VEXcode so students succeed from day one.

• VEXcode transitions from block-based programming to text-based programming to provide age-appropriate learning experiences.
• Examples and tutorials are included in VEXcode to support students and teachers every step of the way.
• Creating and running projects for VEX Robots is made seamless through pre-set robot configurations and easy communication between VEXcode and the robots.