TGR Foundation launches e-learning series for educators, website redesign
TGR EDU: Explore has seen a face-lift as the free digital platform developed in partnership with TGR Foundation and Discovery Education relaunched on Thursday, May 28 and debuted the first of a new six-part e-learning series for educators.
Adding to the 40+ resources on the site including interactive web experiences, lesson plans, training videos and education resources, the series will introduce educators to new approaches, pedagogy and learning strategies designed to transform their classrooms into active learning environments.
“TGR Foundation is a longtime partner with Discovery Education, and I’m so thrilled to launch their first online learning module, designed to share the student-centered strategies and resources with educators around the world”, said Susanne Thompson, COO, Discovery Education. “I’m super proud of the work of TGR Foundation, and we are so honored at Discovery Education to help build these online learning modules to share their experience and their expertise with the whole world.”
TGR EDU: Explore was originally designed and launched in 2017 to expand the quality instruction and support that students experience at the TGR Learning Labs across the country to youth around the globe with a strong focus on impacting high-needs students and communities.
“Together we can ensure that all students are better prepared for success in the classroom and beyond,” said Dr. Katherine Bihr, Vice President of Programs and Education at TGR Foundation. “We know educators will find these strategies useful regardless of the class they’re teaching in. Whether they teach a traditional STEM class or not, there’s something for everybody teaching primary, middle and high school students.”
TGR Foundation and Discovery Education celebrated the launch with a virtual party on Thursday evening including a special guest, Christella Burnette, who is also featured in the first module, (RE)Defining STEM. Although Burnette teaches 10th grade English at Fort Pierce Westwood Academy in South Florida and didn’t see herself as a STEM educator prior to attending her first STEM Studio offered by TGR Foundation, the five-day training program changed her perspective and approach to teaching.
“STEM was introduced to me as just an acronym; however, I see it more now as interdisciplinary and cross-curricular teaching,” she said. “That’s where English was able to come in for me. I can make real-world connections for my students to what we’re doing in the classroom.”
Through STEM Studio and ongoing support from TGR EDU: Create, TGR Foundation’s professional development team, Burnette has seen a transformation in her teaching and her student’s excitement for learning.
“It has helped me see myself as an educator differently,” she said. “It built my confidence in the classroom. I’m giving students a lot more room to learn and to make mistakes and to grow. It was terrifying at first, but my students love it. It gives them ownership of their learning and inspires them to question everything. Those people grow up to be the leaders that we need tomorrow.”
Burnette encourages educators that are considering completing the e-learning series or participating in STEM Studio to “go in with an open mind and an open heart.”
“Everything that we do in STEM Studio is the answer to what we need in the classroom today,” she added.
An alternative to signature in-person and virtual STEM Studio training sessions, the new on-demand professional development arm of TGR EDU: Explore allows educators to take ownership of their growth and prepare their students to succeed. With no-cost required and a certificate with completion of each module, educators can get started on their own time and at their pace.
“The ever-changing global workforce and the reliance on STEM skills requires a complete mindset shift in how we educate our students,” said Eric Moore, Director of Programs, TGR Foundation. “These modules will provide educators the tools to do just that – to ensure that all students are equipped to succeed.”
Through TGR EDU: Explore alone, TGR Foundation has impacted more than one million students globally with projection to double that number by 2021. The redesigned website and first module of the new professional learning series are live and accessible now at TGREDUExplore.org. Visit TGRFoundation.org for more information and free education resources.
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