Teaching Kids to Teach Robots
Our Vision
We believe more children need to be encouraged to make and break things, to create out of their imagination, to build inventions no one has every thought of before. In our Spring and Summer Camps, we strive to provide an environment where making is fun.
We believe building, making, coding and tinkering are important ways kids can prepare for the yet-to-be-invented careers of the 21st century.
We call ourselves Daedalos because we are inspired by the inventiveness and creativity of the Greek mythological inventor Daedalus*.
Our Story
Daedalos Academy was founded in 2014 by Ana & Barish Golland in Vancouver, B.C., Canada. Both Ana and Barish have a combined 20+ years of experience teaching in K-12 education, Learning Technology and using LEGO® Education in the classroom. Together they have two wonderful children, Lourdes and David, whose creativity and constant desire to learn are their joy and inspiration!
Our Goals
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To help children think critically and logically
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To develop problem solving skills
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To promote collaboration
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To equip children with transferable technical skills
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To foster creativity & inspire curiosity
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To help children be comfortable with tinkering – prototyping, testing, etc.
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To help children appreciate that the process is more important than the outcome
Our People
Ana Golland
Founder & Program Director
Ana Golland founded Daedalos Enrichment Programs (Daedalos Academy) in 2014. Ana has over 15 years experience in the education sector working in a variety of organizations teaching kindergarten to primary school children. Ana has a Master of Arts in Ancient Cultures, Religions and Ethnicity from UBC.
Braydan Pastucha
Lead STEM & Robotics Instructor
Braydan Pastucha is a middle school science teacher with a dual degree in Education and Science and a Masters Degree in Education from UBC. His goal is to move a generation of young people to think critically and consider multiple perspectives. Braydan works with Daedalos because it allows kids to apply scientific principles to real world and hands-on problems, a crucial step in understanding. He has been a part of our team since 2015.
Lourdes Golland
Senior Robotics Instructor
Lulu has been a part of Daedalos from the very beginning. Her enthusiasm for robots is contagious as is her unabated love for LEGO. She has been involved in robotics competitions since 2016, and is a FIRST Dean’s List Finalist, 2 time Provincial Champion, and has participated with her team at World Championship in Houston, Texas. She is still engaged in competitive robotics through FIRST TECH Challenge on the Forces Unknown team and is excited to teach other students the skills she’s learned.
Our Previous Instructors
Davor Egersdorfer
Senior Robotics Instructor & STEM Teacher Trainer
Davor Egersdorfer has a Masters in Science Education at UBC, as well as a BSc in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of Cape Town. A former teacher, he is passionate about helping kids learn through technology. Working with LEGO robotics at Daedalos was a childhood dream come true! Davor has worked as Campus Director for Spirit of Math Inc.
Yonit Segal
STEM Instructor
Yonit Segal completed her Masters Degree in Physics and decided to become a STEM teacher. Besides her experience as a high school teacher, her previous Science Museum work gave her opportunities to share her love of science. Yonit was fascinated by the independence of the youngest students at Daedalos, and how quickly they learn to build and program their LEGO robots. We miss her dearly, and wish her all the best in her future endeavors.
August Hale
Robotics Instructor, FLL Coach and Ultra-nerdy Handy-man
Justin Derwee
Robotics Instructor
Justin Derwee is a Computer Science student at UBC with a passion for robotics, programming, and technology. He brings three years of robotics experience through the First Robotics Competition during his high school years. Through Daedalos, Justin helped promote a STEM environment where kids are able to explore while learning applicable skills.