Full Room Shared Vignette HS Student: 10th Grade Robotics  (The Bronx)

The Setting

A school-based robotics lab.  Students are clustered in teams of 3-4 students. Carlos is 15 and in his first semester of high school. Carlos is an emergent bilingual and came to the U.S. in 6th grade and has done well in areas that deeply interest him - usually just STEM subjects. He chose his high school because of the robotics program.  His oral English is stronger than his reading and writing skills and his grades reflect his stronger motivation in STEM classes.  

The Narrative
Teams across the school are preparing for a school-wide robotics competition that will decide which students advance to compete in a district-wide competition. Last year, a team from Carlos’s school won the district competition and competed nationally - this is what got him even more excited about robotics.     

Upon entering class, Carlos finds the other members of his team arguing about how to solve a problem with their robot that is critical to the task required for the competition. Carlos notices one of the extendable arms that uses a claw to pick up a ball has broken off.  One of his teammates is holding it and waving it as he gestures angrily at the others.

His teammates notice Carlos entering the room and all shift their attention to him. He thinks about what to say and how to get his team back on track. Carlos is not sure how to solve the problem yet but he knows if they don’t fix the broken mechanical arm today they won’t be able to participate in the school-wide competition. The teacher is watching the group and decides to wait and see what Carlos does next before intervening.

Picture this...

Which Portrait of a Graduate competencies will benefit Carlos in this situation?

What experiences already exist in your school that genuinely build those competencies? 

What should we expect to see in every school if this work is real and available to all students?