As educators strive to improve access and opportunity in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM), many schools and districts turn to TinkRworks. Several public, private, and charter schools launched or renewed partnerships with TinkRworks this fall to promote STEAM project-based learning in their classrooms.
Killeen Independent School District in Texas, Hope Community Public Charter School – Tolson in Washington, D.C., Frances Xavier Warde School in Chicago, Barack Obama School of Leadership and STEM in Park Forest – Chicago Heights School District 163, and St. Isaac Jogues Parish Catholic School in Hinsdale, Illinois, are among the most recent districts and schools to renew or expand their cooperation with TinkRworks. New school partners include the Woodlands Christian Academy in Texas.
These schools and districts join hundreds of others nationwide, implementing TinkRworks to support their academic goals while creating an equitable STEAM learning environment for students in grades K-8.
Dr. Chad Stevens, CEO of TinkRworks, said:
TinkRworks can be implemented in a variety of settings, which makes it an easy choice for school and district leaders. Our STEAM curriculum and projects come ready-to-teach and can be used by teachers of all experience levels, even if they’ve never taught STEAM subjects. We’re excited to welcome our new partner schools and districts, and we look forward to seeing how they use our hands-on curriculum to engage students in unprecedented ways.
The TinkRworks curriculum and hands-on STEAM project kits can be implemented in various classes, including STEM/STEAM, science, math, English language arts, music, art, and social studies. Each project provides 10 to 18 hours of instruction that can be customized to meet classroom needs. TinkRworks can also be used in afterschool, summer school/summer camp, and extended learning opportunities.
TinkRworks was founded in Hinsdale, Illinois, in 2016 by engineers Anu Mahajan and Gil Levendel to support a local summer science camp and inspire the next generation of inventors. Following a successful camp implementation, they created project ideas for K-8 students based on real-world STEAM applications. Working with Chicago educators, they designed learning experiences reinforcing important scientific, math, and computer science standards. TinkRworks’ STEAM curriculum was soon accepted by local elementary and middle school teachers for afterschool and summer programmes.
Today, TinkRworks is the preferred STEM partner for hundreds of educators nationwide. It is a key component in the STEM strategy for large and small districts. Schools admire the ease with which teachers can integrate TinkRworks into their science classrooms, STEM labs, and media centres. Its vision is to transform learners into innovators and create opportunities for all children to envision themselves as future STEAM leaders by empowering educators to confidently and effectively deliver STEAM education to their students. The platform offers a standards-rich curriculum, innovative hands-on project kits, professional development, and a web-based learning platform and coding environment that students use to bring their projects to life.
