India’s first ISR DSC 2022 at Don Bosco Schools Puthuppally
Don Bosco Higher Secondary School (DBHSS) and Don Bosco Central School (DBCS) Puthuppally, Kerala stood witness to DaVinci SoccerBot Championship (DSC) – the first event of its kind in India, conducted by International STEAM Research. (ISR). The Grand Finale was held on 11th October, 2022 at DBHSS amidst great fanfare in which Team Golden Warriors from Class 8B from DBCS emerged the gallant winners. Team DB Champions from Class 9B DBHSS was the Runner-up.
Father Josh Kanjooparambil, Principal of Don Bosco Central School congratulated the winning team, the Runner-up, and ISR- the organisers, as he spoke with exuberance, “There was a very interesting blend of innovation and fun, as students learnt to apply technology to make learning such an engaging activity”. Father Tony Cherian, Principal of DBHSS remarked, “The DSC brought great joy onto the campus and we are eagerly waiting for the next championship”.
A total of 13 teams took part in this high octane championship. Each team consisted of a maximum of 6 players with a mix of both girls and boys from grades 7, 8 & 9. The preliminary round, held on 6,7 and 10th October, was based on a knock-out basis, while the second round was based on a round robin system to qualify for the semi-finals and finals. Each match lasted for 40 minutes which included various creative performances by each team to provide entertainment to the spectators and supporters.
It was a tournament in which students had a holistic involvement- right from designing the logo, framing the rules of the game, making and designing the bots with ISR XP kit, coding the bots for their movements, controlling the ball movement in the matches using electronic devices, refereeing the matches and even cheerleading the teams with high decibel screams and delightful dance moves. In many ways, it was a tournament By the Students, For the Students and With the Students. The Davinci SoccerBot Championship was an inclusive event in which no one felt left out.
Apart from the joys of the game, the Championship gave the participants invaluable learnings and life experiences. Guided by ISR STEAM experts and mentors, students developed their design thinking skills, understood futuristic technologies and their applications, learnt to communicate, collaborate, think critically and create while realizing the value of hard work, innovation and working as a team. They learnt to value and respect each and every role performed by their teammates. Students were able to integrate their learnings and partake of an augmented experience. Most importantly, it gave them an opportunity to develop their project management skills, enhance their adaptability quotient with a spirit of entrepreneurship.
The future foreshadows the trend where most of today’s jobs will be done by robots. To adapt to this change, students need to get Future Ready as Versatile Lifelong Learners and Problem solvers. The DSC tournament was in effect a hands-on experience of S.T.E.A.M in the Classroom, i.e. integration of the learnings from Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics with application of futuristic technologies, set in a real world environment. STEAM Experiential learning is therapeutic, is in sync with the mandates of National Education Policy (NEP 2020) and is also conducted in both these schools by ISR. Father Tony Cherian aptly remarked, “STEAM Experiential learning has impacted the behaviour of my students, their learnings and contributed to their overall well-being”.
