Two teachers attend SET Sail Summer 2020 STEM Educator Training
Two Farragut Upper School teachers, Engineering Teacher Carolyn VanArsdale and Senior Naval Science Instructor LCDR Thelma Cabantac, had the pleasure of attending the SET Sail Summer 2020 STEM Educator Training sponsored and hosted by the United States Naval Academy.
During the one-week session (this year completed through Zoom technology), they investigated topics using hands-on and project-based learning methodologies. Topics included Engineering Design, Applied Math, Aerodynamics and Flight, Ocean Engineering, Materials Properties, and much more. Additionally, they collaborated with over 80 teachers nationwide on best practices used to effectively teach and capture student interest during this difficult period in which online learning has become a necessity.
This collaborative effort will help pool resources, talents, and demonstrate the connection among disciplines, maximizing student understanding and retention of material. This will also give our students an added edge in Science, Technology, Engineering, Science, and Naval Science.
“This was an amazing opportunity that gave me many tools to demonstrate science and engineering concepts for all learners. The diversity they demonstrated throughout the week was outstanding. These instructors demonstrated how we can preserve with hands-on experiences through distance learning. Not only did I gain experiments and demonstrations for key curricular content, but I also was able to experience various examples of best practices from our nation’s best in distance learning. To be in the student seat was eye-opening and helped me experience first hand a multitude of ways to engagingly deliver content and reach all learners in this challenging time. This experience added fuel to my excitement for the new school year. I can’t wait to share all I have learned with students and staff at Admiral Farragut Academy.” — Carolyn VanArsdale, Upper School Engineering
“The SET Sail STEM Educator Training provided me with the opportunity to see the connection between content being taught in several disciplines, which will aid in adapting my lessons this year and help emphasize topics in innovative ways. The experiments and hands-on activities were great, and I can definitely see myself and students having fun with them while learning. I would highly recommend SET Sail to any and all STEM and Naval Science educators.” — Thelma Cabantac, LCDR (ret), Upper School Naval Science
