I think that it made us more cognizant of each other's facilitation styles and what we bring to the table.  … I feel like I learn a lot from my team members and my team members can also absorb what I bring to the table. I think that it was a great process to get us all on the same page and thinking about how we can really make this a really good experience for different guests and different types of learners.      (Year 1 Informal Educator)

OUR DEFINITION OF FAILURE IS EMBEDDED IN OUR DESIGN CHALLENGE LEARNING:

Design challenges use real-world problems so that learners are invested in the outcome. 

It’s iterative, which means learners are trained that failure is okay, and working to overcome it is where growth happens. 

It’s also collaborative, which is key to future success.

Engineering Design Process cycle. Imagine > create > test and reflect. Define your problem. Share your solution. Perseverant. Empathetic. Collaborative. Bold. Curious.
Digital flow chart of professional development activities.

FiM Professional Development Cycle

Follow along with The Tech Interactive's PD Cycle by clicking on the slideshow below. Many of their resources can be found throughout the Resources page.

PD Cycle
A museum exhibit featuring water flowing through mountains.

Data Collection Programs


The Tech Interactive conducted their PD Cycle with three different programs. You can check out more information by clicking on the slides below.

PD Programs
Workshop participants doing an activity.

Lessons Learned


What have they learned? In doing another round of the PD cycle, what would The Tech Interactive keep, tweak, and toss? Check out the slide below.

Lessons Learned

The thing that prepared us and made us feel most confident working with our educators was the times where we got to talk a little more about pedagogy and language. … Also having the opportunity to help each of them help each other with their growth mindset, by being able to show video and talk about the things that are happening and their language and how they felt about it. And then the facilitators being able to give that kind of feedback was extremely powerful for us. So I do feel like those aspects of the training definitely set us up for success in that way. (Year 2 Lead FiM Facilitator)

ABOUT US

The Tech Interactive is a family-friendly science and technology center. Our hands-on activities, experimental labs and design challenge experiences empower people to innovate with creativity, curiosity and compassion. The Tech is a world leader in the creation of immersive STEAM education resources to develop the next generation of problem-solvers locally, nationally and globally. We believe that everyone is born an innovator who can change the world for the better. We are driven by our mission to inspire the innovator in everyone.