FSH Talks STEM at Beyond Innovation Summit
On May 9, 2017 Figure Skating in Harlem’s Founder & CEO, Sharon Cohen was a panelist at the Beyond Innovation Summit in Santa Clara, California. The event, which was co-hosted by Beyond Sport, the 49ers Foundation and Chevron, brought together inspiring influencers in Sport and STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math). Experts, educators and enthusiasts from around the country such as the Golden State Warriors, Girls Who Code, Bay Area Girls Unite, Verizon, LA84 Foundation, and more convened at this one day summit to explore ways in which innovative educators are creating new approaches to teach the discipline.
“STEM has to be fun, and it has to be rigorous!” says Sharon Cohen, “It’s holistic. We do our girls a disservice when we don’t set high expectations within our programs. It has to be fun and challenging!
“Last year, 90% of Figure Skating in Harlem’s girls showed an improved competency in STEM concepts. FSH attributes this success to an improved STEM curriculum
developed by a specialist from Columbia University, as well as consistent engagement in one-one-one and group tutoring in these areas at their Academic Center!
The FSH girls learn about topics such as Newton’s Laws of Motion in a class setting, re-visit these topics through private tutoring, and then explore these methods experientially at the ice rink. Through their routines and choreography, the girls experience the topics they discussed in the classroom, such as velocity, inertia and momentum in relation to their performances on the ice, they in-turn benefit heavily from this holistic approach off the ice!
For more information regarding STEM and our programming visit our education page at https://figureskatingh.wpengine.com/education/ or contact us at program@figureskatinginharlem.org