News – Page 2 – Teachers Institute of Philadelphia

TIP Celebrates Completion of its 2024 Spring Seminars May 14, 2024

TIP’s Spring 2024 Curriculum Lab Culminating Celebration took place on Wednesday, May 29th at 5:00 pm in the Sky Lounge of Harrison College House. The event marked the end of TIP’s semester-long seminars which have been led by Penn and Temple professors. During the Celebration, fellows from each of the spring seminars shared what they learned throughout the semester and how they incorporated their findings into the units of study they created. The Spring 2024…

TIP Fellows Attend Yale’s Summer Intensive Program May 6, 2024

From July 5th – 19th, five TIP fellows traveled to New Haven for the Yale National Initiative’s 2024 intensive seminar program. The Philadelphia public school teachers were among 47 from 15 school districts across the United States chosen to participate in Yale’s Summer Institute. Like TIP, this national program helps teachers expand their knowledge base and improve their confidence in the classroom by studying with renowned university faculty members. The five national fellows, and the…

Bringing Philosophy into the K-12 Curriculum April 1, 2024

Former seminar leader and Vice Provost for Education Karen Detlefsen has led the launch of the Philosopher-in-Residence program at the Academy of Palumbo, a magnet high school in south Philadelphia. The program is an initiative of the Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization (PLATO) and is implemented by Penn’s Project for Philosophy for the Young (P4Y). PLATO arranges for graduate students to teach high school students about ethical and philosophical theories. Penn’s P4Y originally began collaborating…

School District students learn dance with Rennie Harris Puremovement March 22, 2024

The Teachers Institute of Philadelphia (TIP) and Penn Live Arts collaborated on a program that uses dance to enhance learning for students in the School District of Philadelphia (SDP). The program brought the hip hop troupe Rennie Harris Puremovement to two schools, Carver Engineering and Science and West Philadelphia High School. The visits were part of the company’s three-year residency at Penn Live Arts. The initiative aimed to use dance to help students navigate issues…

TIP Fellow Drives Change through Advocacy and Education February 28, 2024

Deborah Wei, TIP fellow and Social Studies Curriculum Specialist at the School District of Philadelphia, has been making strides as an educator and community activist in Philadelphia. This past year, Wei’s impact contributions to the city earned her a feature on Philadelphia Magazine “150 Most Influential Philadelphians”” in 2023. She was highlighted for her work as co-founder of Asian Americans United, which in collaboration with other groups in the Save Chinatown Coalition, are actively working…

TIP Teacher Provides New Opportunities for Students at Southwark School

TIP fellow and STEM teacher, Justin Guida, has been diligently pursuing various opportunities to improve the educational development of students at Southwark School. In 2023, Guida received the following grants to enrich students’ educational experiences: Emerald Foundation Grant: Provided 6-8 grade students at Southwark School the opportunity to form an e-sports team through the Emerald League Initiative. REC Foundation Aerial Drone Grant: Funded the creation of a drone club at Southwark School and gave students…

TIP Fellows Honored by Lindback February 20, 2024

Every year, TIP fellows set themselves apart with outstanding service to the teaching profession. This past year, two TIP fellows, Anna Herman and Andrea Barnes, received the prestigious Lindback Distiguished Teaching Award. Additionally, TIP fellow Tyriese Holloway was a Lindback Award Nominee. TIP prides itself on helping teachers like these stay in their roles as teachers in the School District of Philadelphia. Since 2011, the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Foundation of Philadelphia has…

Penn highlights collaboration with School District of Philadelphia February 5, 2024

A new Penn initiative, Penn & Philly, will showcase the university’s engagement with the local Philadelphia community, according to an article in Penn Today. Programs like the TIP, which support Philadelphia’s public schools, are a major part of that engagement. University of Pennsylvania’s Senior Executive vice President Craig R. Carnaroli noted that “Penn & Philly provides a platform to improve transparency into the multitude of ways our schools and centers leverage their missions to address…

Woubshet Teaches about Black Queer Culture January 23, 2024

Associate Professor of English and previous TIP seminar leader Dagmawi Woubshet led a first-year seminar in the fall exploring the history and politics of Black queer media. The seminar was supported by a First-Year Seminar Grant from the Sachs Program for Arts Innovation and the College of Arts & Sciences. The course content mirrored what TIP fellows learned in a 2022 seminar with Woubshet. During the seminar, Woubshet led students in engaging discussions about Black…

TIP Launches Spring 2024 Seminar Program

Wednesday, January 17th, marked the launch of TIP’s Spring 2024 Seminar Programs on Penn and Temple’s campuses. During the program, fellows will have the opportunity to learn from world-renowned professors and create their own curriculum units based on material they learn throughout the semester. Fellows will then implement these units in their classrooms to further enrich the educational experience for their students. Upon successful completion of the program, fellows will earn 30 Act 48 credits…

TIP Celebrates the Completion of Two STEM Seminars December 11, 2023

The culminating celebration for TIP’s fall 2023 seminars will be held on December 20th from 5-7pm at Silverman Forum at Penn GSE’s Stiteler Hall. The event will mark the completion of the two STEM-focused seminars held this semester: Children’s Environmental Health taught by Marilyn Howarth, Adjunct Associate Professor of Pharmacology, and The Science, Engineering, and Operation of Drones taught by Dinesh Thakur, Consulting Director at the Pennovation Center. The celebration will honor the exceptional achievements…

Cynthia Sung’s CurveQuad Breakthrough November 30, 2023

TIP Seminar Leader Cynthia Sung continues to make waves in the field of robotics with her latest research project, a centimeter-scale quadruped featuring a curved-crease origami design, as highlighted in Penn Today. Sung is currently a Gabel Family Term Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science’s Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics (MEAM) Department. Sung also serves as a member of Penn’s General Robotics, Automation, Sensing and Perception (GRASP) lab.…

Seminar Leader Deven Patel on Diwali’s Symbolism of Hope

University Advisory Board Co-chair and seminar leader Deven Patel was recently featured in a Penn Today article regarding Diwali and Hanukkah, holidays celebrated in November and December, respectively. Patel discussed how these holidays, celebrated with festivals of light both literally and figuratively, remind everyone that even in the darkest times, people can always find light and hope. Patel highlights Diwali’s transcendent nature beyond religious boundaries and emphasizes how the lighting of lamps serves as both an…

Superintendent Watlington Joins TIP Team at Yale November 8, 2023

The Nineteenth Annual Conference of TIP’s parent program, the Yale National Initiative, was held on November 3-4, 2023. Since 2004, Yale has hosted this conference for schools and university colleagues from around the United States to collaborate and disseminate the Teachers Institute Approach. During the conference, National Fellows had the opportunity to present curriculum units they prepared during the intensive sessions a Yale University. Attendees representing TIP this year included National Fellows Lisa Yau, Tyriese…

Teacher Chloe Glynn Appointed National Steering Representative

TIP fellow and teacher representative Chloe Glynn began her service as the National Steering Committee Representative at the 19th Annual Conference of the Yale National Initiative this past week. Glynn is currently a biology and environmental science teacher at Horace Furness High School. At the conference, Glynn spoke about the unit she wrote in her national seminar as part of a panel of teachers from around the country. The unit, “On the Boarder of Life:…

2024 Spring Seminar: The Past, Present, and Future of Latinx Studies October 23, 2023

As our society becomes more interconnected and culturally diverse, the need to gain a deeper understanding of the history of Latinx communities becomes increasingly important. The upcoming spring 2024 TIP seminar titled “The Past, Present, and Future of Latinx Studies” taught by Professor Rebeca L. Hey-Colón will give participants valuable insights into the rich history of Latinx heritage and its ever-evolving presence in the United States. Hey-Colón is an Assistant Professor at Temple University in the…

2024 Spring Seminar: The Soviet Century

With the war in Ukraine ongoing, teachers and students are in need of a deeper understanding of that conflict’s historical origins. The spring 2024 TIP seminar “Soviet Century: Russia, Socialism, and the Modern World” fills that need. Penn Associate Professor of History Benjamin Nathans, who specializes in Imperial Russia and the Soviet Union, modern European Jewish history, and the history of human rights, will lead the seminar. The course will posit the idea of a…

2024 Spring Seminar: Asian Meditation Traditions October 19, 2023

The idea of “meditation” and “mindfulness” has become increasingly popular in the contemporary world and has evolved into a globally adopted practice. However, people are often unfamiliar with the ancient and modern traditions that shape and inform what some call today’s “contemplative sciences.” Deven Patel, an Associate Professor of South Asia Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, will help participants understand the early roots of meditation in the upcoming spring 2024 TIP seminar titled “Asian…

2024 Spring Seminar: Children’s Literature and the Immigrant Experience

In a world marked by mass migration due to war and climate change, it is important for educators to learn to navigate the diversity in their classrooms. The upcoming spring 2024 TIP seminar titled “Children’s Literature and the Immigrant Experience” led by Professor Gerald Campano who teachers Literacy, Culture and International Education at University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education, does just that. Throughout the seminar, Campano will help participants investigate migration and human mobility…

Penn Conference Supports Educators in Troubled Times October 3, 2023

On Saturday, Oct. 14, The Philadelphia Writing Project (PhilWP), the Teachers Institute of Philadelphia (TIP), the Penn Museum, and the Penn GSE Mid-Career Doctoral and the Reading/Writing/Literacy Programs convened Creating Brave Spaces in Schools and Communities: A Celebration of Writing and Literacy. The event took place 8:15am-4pm at the Penn Museum, 3260 South Street, Philadelphia PA 19104. Throughout the day, teachers, administrators and scholars shared curriculum ideas and practices intended to promote truth-telling and preserve…