Sorrento Springs Elementary School Teacher Receives Grant from WGU

Tanya Tinerella, a 3rd grade teacher at Sorrento Springs Elementary School in the Parkway School District, has received a $559 grant through WGU Missouri’s “Fund My Classroom” initiative. The funds will be used to purchase Wonder Workshop, a STEM-based curriculum that will allow Tinerella’s students to learn the concepts of robotics and coding. Tinerella learned she was selected for the grant on May 4 when WGU staff surprised her with a check presentation at her school.

As a 3rd grade teacher, Tinerella places emphasis on providing learning opportunities that foster important 21st century skills, including communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity. Additionally, she wants to equip her students with important science and technology skills they will need throughout their lifetime. To meet these goals, she plans on incorporating Wonder Workshop K-5 Learn to Code – a mix of virtual and physical STEM activities – into her curriculum. Wonder Workshop will enable her to present students with STEM challenges throughout the year that build coding literacy and require them to solve real-world challenges by working with classmates, trying new ideas and integrating their approaches to find success. With the grant she received from WGU Missouri, she will be able to obtain the Wonder Workshop Dash and Dot Coach Pack, which features two Dash and Dot robots; accessories; access to the Wonder Workshop curriculum, designed to teach her third graders the fundamentals of coding; a subscription to Wonder Workshop's Class Connect for online progress tracking, and more. The Class Connect program will allow students to build their own virtual robots and participate in code puzzling. The apps and challenge cards available to students as part of this curriculum, as well as fun challenges that come in the curriculum guide, teach students block-based coding skills they will need for middle and high school and provide them with an opportunity to develop critical thinking skills. Tinerella also plans to take the 15-hour professional development training course to familiarize herself with how to teach robotics and coding at the elementary level.

The innovative classroom project is one of 50 across Missouri chosen by WGU Missouri to receive funding. The nonprofit, fully online university issued a call in March for K-12 teachers across the state to nominate proposed classroom projects by April 17 for the opportunity to receive full or partial funding through its “Fund My Classroom” initiative. Tinerella’s proposal is one of almost 200 nominations received statewide. Most grants were awarded during Teacher Appreciation Week, which ran from May 2-6.

“We received nominations for some amazing classroom projects, and we are happy to bring so many to life through this year’s ‘Fund My Classroom’ initiative,” said Dr. Terrance Hopson, Regional Director of WGU Missouri. “When it comes to expanding classroom curriculum and employing innovative techniques to engage and challenge students, teachers are often limited by costs. This initiative is an opportunity for WGU to give back to teachers, who go above and beyond to educate our students, by providing them with funding they can use to further enhance learning both in and out of the classroom.”

To learn more about the “Fund My Classroom” initiative and the work WGU Missouri is doing to help teachers advance their careers, visit missouri.wgu.edu.

About WGU Missouri

WGU Missouri is a competency-based, online university created to expand access to higher education for Missouri residents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the fields of business, K-12 teacher education, information technology, and health professions, including nursing. WGU Missouri faculty members serve as mentors, working one-on-one with students, offering guidance, support, and individualized instruction.

Established in 2013 through a partnership with nationally recognized Western Governors University, WGU Missouri is open to all qualified Missouri residents. The university is nonprofit and self-sustaining on flat-rate tuition of about $7,600 per year for most programs.

Degrees are granted under the accreditation of Western Governors University, which is accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). Nursing College programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE*), and the Health Informatics program is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).

More information is available at missouri.wgu.edu or by calling 855.948.8493.

*Western Governors University offers nursing programs that are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (One Dupont Circle, NW, Suite 5380, Washington DC 20036, 202-877-6791).