DT Crash Course with Panamanian Teachers

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Dr. Robert Connor, Director of Tulane’s English as a Second Language Program, is currently leading, teaching, and learning from Panamanian teachers who are here visiting through Tulane’s TESL courses, which provide abroad learning opportunities for Panamanian, Rwandan, Arabian, and Chinese students. This program offers a reciprocation for local teachers in the form of fully-funded teaching stints in Panama or Rwanda this summer. The Panamanian visitors are here for six weeks, touring the campus, learning from our faculty, and thanks to some thoughtful placement strategies by Monique Hodges, they’ve have opportunities to visit local schools.

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One of the teachers from Panama played the role of “Nadege Herrera” (Vanna White) from “La Rueda de la Fortuna” (Wheel of Fortune) during a game on Friday night as the teachers learned key words associated with Design Thinking.

TPCP’s Dr. Kathy Frady and intern Diondra Rhinehart facilitated one of their learning experiences. Diondra expressed interest in the Design Thinking activities that Dr. Frady integrated into her course, and she teaches at Bricolage, a school that is quite familiar with the Design Thinking cycle, so Dr. Frady invited her to co-facilitate a Design Thinking Crash Course for the Panamanian teachers. The teachers explored challenges that they face back home with their own students. As the photos indicate, a fun time was had by all!

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Teachers participated in role-playing, addressing how they might present elements of Design Thinking to resistant educators.