Robotics Education: Building Soft Skills for the Future

At Aiglon College, we believe that education should not stop at textbooks and classrooms. Our robotics programme is just one such example of this commitment. We provide a range of structured robotics lessons and competition opportunities within our technology curriculum, including the new 'play-based' LEGO curriculum for Years 3 - 7, and opportunities for students to build, programme, and explore VEX robotics. In this way we develop not only technical skills but also a range of essential soft skills.

LEGO Curriculum

This new initiative - integrated into the Aiglon curriculum in August 2024 - introduces a play-based curriculum for Years 3 - 7. Using LEGO we can leverage the proven benefits of learning through play to cultivate skills like coding and making in a holistic fashion. Students gain valuable experience in problem-solving, critical thinking, collaboration, and effective communication, along with learning creative design. We hope that this new programme provides a sound basis for students to either move into our VEX robotics programme or continue on the LEGO track, which has its own competitions and is becoming increasingly complex.

Competition Teams: VEX and First LEGO League

VEX robotics was introduced to the school in January 2024. This year there are 17 VEX teams, including seven performing at the competition level. Aiglon's VEX and LEGO Robotics teams participate in regional and global competitions, providing students with opportunities to showcase their skills and form alliances with teams from all over the world. This year Aiglon entered Explore and Challenge teams for the first time, into the Swiss regional First Lego League competition. In November 2024, five Aiglon VEX robotics teams (18 students) participated in the annual Santa Robot Clash competition, hosted by International School Basel. 25 teams and robots from all over Switzerland competed. After 40 competitive matches the tournament came to a close with Aiglon placed with three teams in the top ten, winning both the High school and Middle school competitions. 

Earlier this year, an Aiglon team participated in VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas, Texas and were ranked in the final 16.

Why Robotics?

Robotics provides a unique, hands-on learning environment where students can:

• Collaborate: Teamwork is key in robotics. Students work together to design, build, and programme robots, learning to communicate effectively, share ideas, handle different opinions and solve problems as a team.
• Think Critically: Robotics challenges students to analyse problems, think creatively, and develop innovative solutions. This fosters critical thinking skills that are essential for success in any field.
• Communicate Effectively: Robotics projects often involve presenting ideas and findings to others. Negotiating and compromising where required. This helps students develop strong communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Develop Resilience: Building robots is a process of trial and error. Students learn to persevere through challenges, developing resilience with a growth mindset. It is rather uncommon that schools encourage students to fail, but failing fast and overcoming these failures has been a key to develop character, resilience and the ability to cope with whatever life throws at you.

Preparing for the Future

Aiglon's investment in robotics, coupled with its commitment to a play-based curriculum and competitive teams, is nurturing a generation of innovators, problem-solvers, and leaders. These robotics initiatives are not just valuable for academic success, but they provide students the head start they need to face challenges and maximize the opportunities of an advancing technological world. 

“ I know that technology will play a key role in shaping my future. Exploring robotics has allowed me to develop valuable skills like coding, problem-solving, and teamwork. And best of all, it’s an incredibly enjoyable experience!.” Alex, Year 11.

We are excited about the potential of robotics education to prepare our students for a bright future. Stay tuned for more updates on our robotics initiatives! If you would like more information about the robotics engineering programme at Aiglon, please contact Darren Wise, Jason Machin or Darren Benson:  technology@aiglon.ch