Coding & Robotics

Coding is a basic literacy in the digital age, and it is important for students to understand and be able to work with and understand the technology around them. Having children learn coding at a young age prepares them for the future. Coding helps students with communication, creativity, math, writing, and confidence. Incorporating coding into the core curriculum helps students gain skills such as sequencing, problem solving, math concepts, as well as perseverance so that they will become better readers, writers, and mathematicians. Coding is a behavior language and incorporating robotics allows students to write code and get immediate feedback on whether the intended behavior succeeded. Collaboration is built into all our coding and robotics curriculum so students learn to work together to find solutions to problems.

LEGO ROBOTICS - FIRST LEGO LEAGUE (FLL)

FLL Discover (K-1), FLL Explore (2-4), FLL Challenge (4-8) are the three divisions of the Lego Robotics competition that our students participate in. Student teams work collaboratively addressing real world problems and design and create solutions made with Lego bricks and robots. They compete locally, regionally, and nationally. FLL is more than a robotics competition, it also requires students to present their ideas/solutions and work on digital citizenship. TPS has seven elementary schools and three middle schools that participate in competition play.

Project Lead the Way (PLTW)

Four elementary schools, six middle schools, five high schools and TCALC all participate in Project Lead the Way to support the district’s computer science curriculum. Elementary courses focus on computer science and science, middle school courses focus on Computer Science Innovators and Makers, Design and Modeling, and App Creation. High school courses include Comptuer Science Essentials and Computer Science Principles. TCALC courses include Engineering, and Biomedical Science.

Secondary Program

TPS high schools offer computer science classes and coding classes that include javascript, python, coding in a 3D environment, game design, creating tablets using Raspberry Pi, drones, and Minecraft. They also build and troubleshoot computers, and study careers. a robust Engineering program offered at TCALC prepares students for a career after high school. Three of our middle schools partiicpate in the FPV Drone program through K-State and the FAA.