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First Lego League WA (FLL WA) is a STEM project led by Curtin University with key partners around WA. It is part of the international For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) movement.
Over two school terms, teams of students (ages 9-16) engage in two STEM problem-solving challenges. The Robot Challenge is building and programming a LEGO robot that completes missions on a field. The Innovation Project is to identify and solve a real-world problem. Both challenges are undertaken with positive, collaborative principles that are celebrated at the high-energy, end-of-season competitions.
2022 marks the 10th anniversary of FLL in WA. The program has grown from a small event for 56 students, and now culminates in multiple, day-long qualifying competitions and one State finals competition involving over 15,000 students, teachers, mentors and engaged local community members.
The 2022 FLL Teaser Video was released on the 24th of April, check it out!
If you want to start a team, there are a few things you will need:
A dedicated adult coach
A LEGO SPIKE Prime, Mindstorms EV3, NXT or RCX robot kit
A place to meet to work on building robots, practicing games and working on the project.
Register your team for FLL WA
Team coaches can register teams for the 2022 FLL WA challenge in June through the FIRST Australia website. Registration costs start from AUD$500.
Registration includes:
A LEGO Competition kit, an exclusive selection of LEGO® bricks, the instructions to assemble your mission models, and a roll-out field to practice on.
Entry into one of the West Australian regional tournaments.
The FLL LEGO Competition kits usually arrive in early August and teams have 10 to 12 weeks to work on the challenges. Teams then enter one of the West Australian Regional tournaments taking place in November. Qualifying teams go forward to the finals at Curtin, then potentially onto international tournaments in 2023.
Team registrations will be accepted until all slots are filled.
Dates for 2022 comps in Nov and Dec can be found above in “FLL WA schedule for 2022”.
Each comp runs from around 8am to 4pm. Anyone with a passion for inspiring kids is welcome to participate.
The five main categories of vols are:
Referees for the Robot Game (which means knowing the rules of the game, being good on detail and timing, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uFSqkgj59Y) the kid on this video I would say is a little young 😊 but he explains it well.
All judges work in teams of three, collectively judging each team on all 3 areas, but each judge has one of those three areas as their responsibility. The Robot Design Judge should have some tech skills, but the other two can be general.
General duties volunteer a range of other duties, with no specific skills required.
When you register you can check your preferences for a particular role, and you will do that role for the day.
The minimum age for judges is 18, and the minimum age for referees is somewhat younger, but it does depend on experience.
Register to be a volunteer at a FIRST LEGO League Challenge comp in WA here (best completed on a computer): https://firstaustralia.systems
FLL Education Research
An experienced teacher and FLL Coach, Michael Graffin is currently undertaking his Master of Philosophy in Education at Curtin University. He is investigating how students develop their collaboration and communication skills by being a part of FLL. If you are interested in following his academic journey, we have created a Linkedin group to share resources and news.
The strong collaborative community of practice around FLL WA is a major strength of the program. We are always looking for STEM-focused schools to join the growing FLL community. Email Tim Keely at t.Keely@curtin.edu.au to get involved.
For more information about FLL WA, watch the video of the 2020 online information session.
