The Dow Academy Difference
Courage.
Being able to act not-withstanding
challenging and/or frightening
events and situations.
Creativity.
An individuals ability to personally interpret experiences, discover new possibilities and create solutions that are novel, useful and valued by the world around them.
Community.
An individual’s capacity to work with other people in a process that requires interdependence to solve a problem, achieve a goal or complete a task.
Pan-Africa Youth Leadership Program 2023
TDA Form 3 Diamonds Lewa Modimakwane and Garegope
Letlhabile represented Botswana and The Dow Academy in the Pan-Africa Youth Leadership Program 2023 in the United States
for 3 weeks. Here is their amazing journey.
Thank you to the U.S. Embassy Gaborone, Botswana for facilitating this wonderful opportunity for our Diamonds.
The Dow Academy is building on an impressive 25 year foundation of teaching and curriculum delivery leading to the successful completion of Primary School Leaving Certificate and the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE).
TDA Tech Series®
What is the TDA Tech Series®?
The value The Dow Academy is bringing to basic education is the integration and development of a technical, vocational and life skills programme alongside the long established and understood academic programme currently offered in basic education institutions. We offer the skills development programmes under our TDA Tech Series® programming.
What do kids learn from the TDA Tech Series® Programs?
Leadership Development
In the 2023 installment of the TDA Tech Series®, we will be offering FREE Leadership Development workshops to our 2023 Form 1 TDA students. In this installment, students will participate in a term-long leadership development programme called ‘Growing Leaders: Habitudes.’ This will help students break out of their shells, minimize bullying by raising empathy, and create career- ready individuals as early as possible.
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TDA Prefects Leadership Mentoring
A senior business leader mentors our Prefect cohort on the fundamentals and challenges of leadership by sharing their own experiences. This is a year long commitment on both the executive and the students’ part.
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Career Conversations
Students engaged in year long career development conversation with a professional mentor and development expert. Students explore their skills, interests and long term goals to make more informed learning and career decisions.
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The TDA Media Club
Students learn the fundamentals of storytelling, character development, film and media production; the programme culminates in the creation of a media production. Please click here to see the 2020 student’s short film The Sword of Mochudi.
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Tele-Radio Station
Former TDA Students develop skills in radio and television production by running an internet TV and Radio station.
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Newspaper Production and Journalism Skills
Students learn the fundamentals of journalism and investigative reporting with the production of a series of newspapers over the academic year. Please click here to see the inaugural issue of the TDA Diamond Times.
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Graphic Novel Design
Students learn the fundamentals of drawings, character development and storytelling through the development of their own graphic novel.
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Please click here to access The TDA Graphic Novels
Rebuild a Desktop
Students learn how to disassemble and reassemble desktop computers, set up working computer networks, troubleshoot, fix and maintain the machines.
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Rebuild a Laptop
Students have an opportunity to take apart the laptops, learn about the component parts, fix the machines, provision them and get to take them home at the end of the programme with a small tool kit so they can maintain them.
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Computer Programming
Students are introduced to computer programming through local instructors and video conference lessons with a professor of computer science from the University of Cincinnati. Click here to meet the professor.
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The TDA Music Programme
Students are introduced to music fundamentals that include musical notes and scales, building chords, songwriting, band and choir creations, various instruments and how to have fun with music. At the end of the programme, students will take part in and produce a musical composition.
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Mechanics & Electricity
Students learn the fundamentals of the internal combustion engine through fixing real-world vehicles. The instructor is a female mechanic from Mochudi who runs a small garage in the village.
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Robotics
The TDA Robotics programme will empower students to solve problems in their communities through learning the programming and building of Robots. In competitions such “The Robot Olympics”, students will also use their expertise to complete a number of challenges in a competitive environment.
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TDA Paid Youth Internship Programme
The TDA youth internship programme is a paid opportunity for our outgoing 2022 Form 5 graduates. The internship will teach students to develop skills in various areas of expertise available here at TDA, while also earning an internship stipend.
The TDA interns will learn from; The TDA Tele-Radio Station, The TDA Diamond Times Newspaper Publishing Team, The TDA Marketing Department, The TDA Graphic Design Team and The TDA Video and Audio Engineering Team.
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Artist in Residence
Professional Artists introduce students to a variety of art forms, at one of the The Dow Academy campuses through producing a commissioned art piece for the school. So far the programme has hosted a fine artist who produced a mural, a traditional Setswana master potter who made large clay pots resident at each campus. Our first 2021 artist is a master weaver who will be making traditional setswana grass baskets characteristic of the Ngamiland area.
Artist in Residence - Mr Bezuba Kaunda
Artist in Residence - Ms Thitaku Kushonya Maphaha
Artist in Residence - Mrs Mokula Mosalagae
- Sponsor a non-TDA student to join a TDA Tech Series® Program. Click here.
- Recycle your old desktop and laptop computers for use in our Rebuild-a-Desktop and Rebuild-a-Laptop programs. Each term the students need more machines to work on and each student keeps the laptop they have fixed. Click here.
- Become a TDA Tech Series® mentor. Click here to tell us more about what skill you would like to share with students in person or virtually.
Sports Programme
The Dow Academy Sports Programme is designed to challenge and revolutionize the way sport is undertaken at the basic education level. Some form of regular exercise and sports participation is required of each student. Beginning 2022 the sports programme will be divided into two tracks, the Intramural Track and the Student Athlete Track.
Student Athlete Track: Students will dedicate themselves to a sport each term, train daily and compete against other schools to represent The Dow Academy in that sporting code.
Student Intramural Track: Students looking for physical activity to enjoy a healthy lifestyle, who are not looking to dedicate themselves to a sporting code.
The TDA Fellowship
The Dow Academy Fellowship is about inculcating a dexterity of thought and approach borne of a diversity in exposure. The Fellowship will be the primary avenue through which the wider world can engage, share, teach, and learn from our student, staff, and village.
Engage
Share
Teach
Students | Professionals | Retirees | Institutions
Objectives
- To drive an appreciation of the diversity of human experience, thought, background, and approach to living/learning courageously, to creativity, and to building sustainable communities.
- To provide Fellows an opportunity to design a sharing/teaching programme for a period of 3-24 months, with clear learning and sharing goals for both themselves and their audience.
- To develop and design content to be shared/taught by the Fellows and school teachers which is multidisciplinary in nature; i.e. not confined to a specific medium, discipline, country or viewpoint.
- To personalise learning and teaching.
TDA Global Partnerships
At TDA, we are collaborating with a diverse group of international organisations, universities and individuals to support the delivery of relevant educational content in an effective manner. Our partnership areas include teacher support and development, curriculum and teaching method, design, music and language training.
Through our partnerships, we are able to guarantee diversity in teacher and expertise involvement in the education of our learners.
TDA Artist-in-Residence
TDA Artist-in Residence programme is designed for accomplished artists to spend 2-6 months on one of our campuses practising their craft. The programme provides an opportunity to engage students, staff and parents, while working on a specific piece that takes the school community on a creative journey.
August 2020:
Mr. Bezuba Kaunda, from Pilane, Botswana. Self taught fine artist who has nurtured his passion for artistic expression since he was 8 years old. He produced a mural during his time at TDA.
October 2020:
Ms. Mokula Mosalagae, from Mochudi, Botswana. A master potter trained in the Setswana tradition, trained by her paternal aunt- Rakgadi under apprenticeship with 7 other young girls. Ms Mosalagae was commissioned to produce 3 big clay pots- Dinkgwana for each campus in the time that she was with us.
June 2021:
Ms. Thitaku Maphaha, from Gumare, Botswana. A master basket weaver in Hambukushu, Yei and Subiya tradition, trained by her mother from the age of 5 years old. Ms Maphaha will be teaching our secondary school art students how to make baskets. TDA has commissioned Ms Maphaha to weave 3 big flared baskets- Tlatlana traditionally used for gathering and carrying, one for each campus.
Learn more.
School Holiday Learning
We have begun offering a School Holiday Learning programme.
During 2022 Term 2 Holidays, The Dow Academy through its TDA Tech Series® Programmes held a FREE 2 week holiday course in Computer Rebuilding and Computer Coding, open to both TDA and Non-TDA students.The response was successful and we will be continuing this exercise through 2023.
During the August school holiday The Dow Academy will be offering a bespoke TDA Tech Series ® programme open to interested students, irrespective of their schools. Please follow us on facebook and look out for the announcement and registration process.
During the April school holiday The Dow Academy hosted its inaugural Leadership Initiative. This was a 3 day workshop on leadership facilitated by an international group of professionals and leaders, both in person and via video conference. The programme was offered free of charge and was open to young people between the ages of 15 and 18, irrespective of where they go to school.
