Collaboration enhances education at The National

Last week, I had the opportunity to facilitate STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) activities at the TGR Learning Lab Activity Zone at The National golf tournament in Washington D.C. Our tent was unique as we partnered with different groups to offer visitors a range of dynamic and engaging activities. A key takeaway from my week at The National was just how crucial collaboration is in all that we do, whether in the classroom or at our events.

Through connecting with the Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM (TIES), we were able to have their fab lab on hand at our activity zone. TIES is committed to collaborating with the private sector and similar foundations to enhance and evolve how students learn. In addition to the debut of a unique digital fabrication experience, TIES’s fab lab came equipped with vinyl cutters and a CNC router to allow guests to create their own ball marker or select other objects from pre-cut designs. Connecting with TIES allows us to grow relationships with other STEM-based organizations, scaffold our current knowledge and strengthen our programs and ideas for future projects.

Relationship building is a key aspect of our programs. Having a group of our Earl Woods Scholars volunteer at the tournament allowed our staff to meet the incoming scholars while exposing the scholars to other elements of our foundation and initiatives. The students were immensely appreciative of the opportunity to explore outside of their city and participate in a PGA Tour for the first time. They were able to experience the positive culture of the foundation and engage with our STEM activities. Collaborating with other organizations and programs in our organization, allows our entire team to organically strengthen and expose scholars, instructors, partners and supporters to the full scope of the work we do.

Looking within the STEM community we are able to work with partners to provide a different perspective and create a stronger and more dynamic community of learners. Collaboration is a key aspect at the TGR Learning Lab and TGR Foundation as it allows us to strengthen our communication, learn from one another and continuously challenge our growth mindset.

“Alone we can do so little, but together we can do so much”. – Helen Keller

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