2015 IMD Cohort Visits RAFT

By Greg Brown, Director of Education Iniatives, RAFT

Each year, the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) executive MBA program makes a visit to Silicon Valley to see innovative companies, including RAFT. Participants of the program are executives from around the world who are completing their MBAs through a Swiss university program. Organizers of the program feel that RAFT visits gives the executives an insight into the creativity and resourcefulness that makes Silicon Valley so special.

The second 2015 IMD cohort visited RAFT last week. The participants came to Silicon Valley to experience not only the innovation in our region, but to observe how RAFT is included as an example of a Silicon Valley non-profit innovation organization that encourages hands-on learning.

In just two hours, the visitors took a RAFT tour, made and experimented with Puff Rockets, and assembled over 100 Solar Cooker kits and 30 Kumihimo yarn assemblies.

“I’ve been bringing my students to RAFT for five years now and I plan to come back again next year. “ says Jim Pulcrano, Program Organizer.

When you visit RAFT you might see groups just like IMD, corporate volunteering teams, local education organization meetings, and afterschool groups. If you and your organization would like to come visit RAFT, please let us know! Requests can be made to raft@raft.net.

Comments

Science fairs: Nurturing the 21st century thinker

3D Tessellation model A bespectacled 6th grader enthusiastically explains ‘efficiency of 3D space tessellations’ with myriad equations and handmade tessellation patterns to address the needs of the packaging, storing, shipping and construction industry. Another middle school student, was inspired by his little brother’s telescope and built a simple vacuum chamber using a PVC pipe with a microphone and a speaker on both ends to find out how sound travels on Mars! This 8th grader from Granada Islamic School used an oscilloscope his mother found at an auction to measure the sounds. “I poke around and find junk to build my projects. It’s fun.” Science projects today have become fun for many students as they use more hands on activities to experiment and understand concepts. These two middle school students were among 996 participants at the recent Synopsys Silicon Valley Science and Technology Championship , where RAFT was one of the special judges. Moenes Iskarous, President, S...

Plastic to art that’s fantastic!

With Valentine’s Day round the corner, one of RAFT ’s upcoming weekend workshops – ‘Shrink Art Fun’ shows you how to recycle plastic into awesome shrink art! This year learn how to make some meaningful gifts using donated plastic material, available at RAFT in the form of trays and take-out containers, thus preventing them from ending up in a landfill. Shrink plastics encourage creativity, and can be used to supplement a variety of classroom activities. Students can create models, manipulatives, and displays. They can make maps, pins, book report characters, and even cards! But there is also a science behind this hands on art form! Says Instructor Georgina Patterson, who has been in the education field for 40 years, “The science behind the shrinkage process is a chemistry lesson in itself, and the excitement young children get when they watch the plastic change size in the oven is worth the effort!” The base material consists of thin, flexible polystyrene plast...

Turn Daylight Savings Time into a Teachable Moment

Don’t lose sleep over this, but Daylight Savings Time (DST) is here! On March 11th it's time to set your clocks forward and say goodbye to one hour of sleep! There’s no time to waste! Make this year’s Daylight Savings Time an engaging and meaningful experience for you and your students. RAFT has plenty of ideas to help you and your students get ready for DST: “ Time for Shadows ” shows you how to quickly assemble an equatorial sundial that you can quickly adjust for daylight savings time! Learn about sun positions and shadows with drinking straws, a protractor, a compass, and a CD! Use a view binder cover, a watch, a paperclip, straws, the compass, and other easily accessible resources to create a “ View Binder Sundial ” similar to the one our forefathers used to tell time before clocks were invented! Create a sand timer (based on the concept of an hourglass), and learn how to measure time with “Sand Timer Primer.” Why do we have Daylight Savings Time?...

RAFT Hands-On Education

Search This Blog