SigmaWest 2026: Junior Instructor Challenge
The Junior Instructor Challenge (JIC) is an opportunity for Sigma campers to try being instructors. Participants design and teach their own workshop — just like our faculty and counselors do. Each workshop is a 60-minute hands-on lesson attended by 5-10 campers. Topics can vary widely, so you’re encouraged to explore something you’re genuinely excited about.
The Junior Instructor Challenge is not a competition with others but a competition with yourself. You will be asked to submit a workshop proposal, which we will review and may ask you to revise. Once your proposal is accepted, your workshop will run alongside other workshops scheduled that day and will be treated equally with all other workshops. Participation is optional, but we strongly encourage everyone to take part and have the opportunity to teach your workshop at SigmaWest!
The workshop philosophy and the purpose are twofold:
- To teach a new and interesting concept
- To inspire and excite campers about a topic they may not have explored before
In past years, workshops that included demonstrations, hands-on activities, or problem-solving opportunities have been more successful than lecture-style sessions.
Your proposal for the Junior Instructor Challenge should include:
- Background: Provide a brief summary of what you plan to teach. What interests you about this topic? How will you make your workshop engaging for other campers?
- Your qualifications: What makes you qualified to teach this workshop?
- Takeaway: What is the most exciting idea or concept you want participants to walk away with?
- Rough lesson plan: Provide a rough outline of what you plan to do in the first 15 minutes, the second 15 minutes, and so on. Include a few things you can skip if you are running out of time, and try not to overplan!
- Workshop title: Come up with a great title that will catch campers' eyes.
- Workshop description: Write a few sentences about your workshop that will go in the sign-up sheet, along with the title. The title and description are especially important—they will influence how many campers sign up for your workshop.
- Budget & Materials: What materials will you need? Does your workshop require a specific location (e.g., chemistry lab, kitchen, outdoors)? How much money will you need to purchase materials? All workshops have a base budget of $20. If you believe that $20 may not be sufficient, please contact us in advance to discuss whether additional funding is possible.
Please make sure you are running a workshop that has not been run before. Submissions to run the same workshop for two consecutive years will be rejected.
To fill this form, you must be logged in to your student account.