The America’s Cup Endeavour programme brought together teachers from across the island on Friday with a workshop highlighting STEAM education.

Middle schoolteachers from both public and private schools gathered at the AC offices to learn all about the science, technology, engineering, arts and math (STEAM) curriculum and the Endeavour programme so that they can “take the tools back to the classroom”.

The programme’s main aim is to ignite a passion for learning among students, focusing on experiential learning through fun, hands-on activities both on and off the water. STEAM leverages the schools’ curriculum and offers a weeklong learning experience to local youths.

Jennifer Pitcher, America’s Cup community outreach manager, said: “Here we have two teachers from each middle school that teach science, math, design and technology, music, humanities, English, et cetera. We use sailing to teach STEAM education and today is all about working with teachers and going through the modules — so the teachers are the students for today. They get to go through the activities with us so they can learn what we are teaching in the classroom during the weeklong programme and to ensure that our students are coming from the classroom to Endeavour and back and it’s a fluid process.

“We’re also networking with the teachers and it is a great opportunity for our Endeavour team, making sure that there is a good partnership and relationships there between teachers and instructors.

“We’re building lesson plans and going on the water to make sure that we’re all on the same page with respect to the teaching of STEAM education. It’s a workshop to help them build their teaching tool kit.”

The workshop was made possible by Ministry of Education who sponsored each public schoolteacher to participate as a part of their professional development.