Beyond Borders: How Colombian students and educators experienced transformation through professional learning
As an educator, I have always felt powerful opportunities present themselves all the time, you just have to have your eyes open to see when they are coming and to understand that they are in fact opportunities. This was definitely the case when members of the TGR Foundation programs team learned about an opportunity to partner with the D.K. Kim Foundation to grow an education initiative based in Colombia. At this moment, I was not very familiar with Colombia and was eager to learn more and see if it might be a fit for our professional learning work.
As we met with Olga Lucia Parga Nates and Renee Cowan, of Kim Integrated Health Management Initiative and the D.K. Kim Foundation, respectively, it became clear they had a similar mission as TGR Foundation – to support communities in closing the opportunity gap. This first meeting was full of great ideas and lofty goals, but it wasn’t until I met some of the Colombian teachers, we could work with that it is was clear we needed to work with them!
STEM Studio participants soar through STEM using drones
We’ve seen those breathtaking videos of natural landscapes, watched synchronized LED light performances at the Super Bowl, or even read about commercial drone package delivery. Drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have served their initial purpose of military reconnaissance and supported developments in agriculture, photography and film, and even search and rescue operations. They’ve recently made their way into education, and it becomes important for our educators to examine the opportunities and precautions when implementing lessons involving new technology. This year, TGR EDU: Create introduced drone workshops during our STEM Studio professional development trainings for educators that focused on promoting computer science concepts and how STEM thinking has contributed to the current application of drones.
Expanding love for STEM: My International STEM Studio experience
As one of sixteen participants of TGR EDU: Create’s International STEM Studio, South African education entrepreneur and U.S. Africa Development Foundation grant recipient Mmabatho Mokiti shares her experience participating in the 10-day immersive STEM workshop.
Summer STEM Studio to amplify curricula among educators
Empowering teachers to deliver engaging STEM curricula, TGR EDU: Create’s summer STEM Studio workshops will drive design, innovation and collaboration in Southern California, Washington, D.C. and around the world. STEM Studio, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente, will unite a diverse group of professionals with unique teaching experiences and perspectives. The workshops also encourage teachers to leave their comfort zone and engage in new learning experiences to spark ideas in their classrooms.
TGR EDU: Create’s summer STEM Studio enhance educators curricula for the fall at the TGR Learning Lab in Anaheim
This Summer at the TGR Leaning Lab in Anaheim, educators from across Southern California participated in STEM Studio. These week-long workshops are all part of the TGR EDU: Create program presented by Kaiser Permanente that provides unique professional development programs in STEM and college access for educators.
STEM Studio, D.C. Edition
The Tiger Woods Foundation met Alesha Russey in March 2016 when she attended our first STEM Studio seminar in Washington, D.C. Since then, she has participated in a number of offerings and reached out to us regarding possibly offering a more intensive training for her school and others in the D.C. area. Likewise, she offered her school site to host and has been one of our biggest champions in informing educators of our work in professional development. She shares her takeaway of TGR EDU: Create’s STEM Studio.
Summer Learning at the TGR Learning Lab
Summer is for fun, sun, BBQs—and for many young people, no school! However, all of us at the TGR Learning Lab believe that summer is about opening doors to new opportunities, thinking about one’s future and getting ahead when it comes to preparing for college. We also think it is a time where teachers can have some fun while they collaborate with fellow educators and learn new activities that can be used in their own classroom.
STEM Studio D.C. – Educator Growth Through the Student Lens
On June 15-16, TGR EDU: Create delivered STEM Studio in Washington D.C., a free two-day professional learning experience in STEM education based on best practices in lesson design and inquiry-based learning from Tiger Woods Foundation curricula. Learn more from TGR EDU: Create’s director David Tong about how we’re working with educators to improve STEM learning for students everywhere.
Highlights from TGR EDU: Create’s STEM Seminar
By 2018, 8.6 million STEM-related jobs will be created. Within the next decade, that number will only increase. To better prepare students for the workforce of the future, we’re focused on providing them with the training, knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in various STEM careers. But that is only part of the equation. […]
Design, innovate and collaborate in STEM Studio
Push pins, meat packing trays, tape, balloons and a straw. Using only these materials, apply Newton’s Laws of Motion to design a single balloon rocket car that will travel the furthest distance in a race with other fellow educators.
