Educational Resources Digest – Week of August 10
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To Parents and Colleagues
We hope you’ve had a great summer!
Please note that we work with a diverse set of partners, and these opportunities and events are not tailored to any particular audience or partner. Please review each opportunity to decide if it’s relevant to your needs.
— Cheers and be well!
Upcoming Programs and Opportunities
Happening in August and September
8/11/2020 Race, Equity and Mathematics Education – Webinar
When: Aug 11, 3pm ET
Where: Online, registration required
This panel discussion will address where we are and where we need to go in the mathematics education of African American K12 students. We will move beyond a discussion of the achievement gap and instead focus on how best to promote African American student success, curiosity and engagement in mathematics. Participants should be prepared to explore:
- Instructional practices that impede and those that promote African American mathematics learners
- Mathematics Identity Development of African American students
- The racialized experiences of African American learners in mathematics
- Culture in the mathematics classroom
See More Details and Panelist Bios: https://stemtlnet.org/theme
8/11/2020 100Kin10 Ask Me Anything with Emily Ong of Girls Who Code
When: Aug 11, 2-3pm ET
Where: Online, registration required
100Kin10’s next “Ask Me Anything” session is happening August 11! Similar to previous sessions, this session will be an informal discussion based on the questions that you ask:
Join Emily Ong of Girls Who Code to discuss best practices for building holistic and equitable STEM programming that can adapt to the virtual learning landscape — no matter what type of role you play within the education space.
8/12/2020 Two GATE Equity Webinars – Attendance: From connection to engagement
When: Aug 12, 10am PT and 3pm PT
Where: Online, registration required, 3 free clock hours included
Graduation: A Team Effort (GATE) Equity webinars help growth minded educators and education advocates to learn from Washington districts who are closing opportunity gaps. Using OSPI data and experience from the field, GATE Equity webinars reveal the systems that drive success, an equity focus, and the key strategies that are getting students to graduation.
There are two distinct experiences that both feature Washington schools doing amazing work! GATE Equity Webinar 101 sessions, in the morning, are based on foundational best practices. GATE 201 Webinar sessions, in the afternoon, focus on a specific strategy from the monthly theme that you can apply to your context.
10:00am: Attendance 101: How do schools prioritize and maintain connections with all students and families this fall?
Are you wondering what attendance will look like this fall? Join us to get a quick look at OSPI fall attendance guidance and resources. Mount Baker School District will talk about how they’re adapting to remote learning and to share their approach to contacting and connecting with students.
3:00pm: Attendance 201: What are culturally responsive ways to increase student engagement in remote learning?
Do you want to create an engaging and culturally responsive remote learning environment in your classroom? This webinar is geared toward teachers who want to explore some of the big ideas from the book Culturally Responsive Education in the Classroom: An Equity Framework for Pedagogy. You’ll get an opportunity to discuss how to adapt these ideas to your own context and learn from educators across the state in breakout rooms. Special guest: Vancouver School District!
Attendance includes 3 Free Clock Hours
8/13/2020 Science & Engineering Lessons for a Sustainable Future: A Workshop for Elementary Teachers
When: August 13th, 9:00 am – noon
Where: Online, registration required
Are you interested in bringing more science and engineering through a green lens to your classroom? Saskia van Bergen and Johanna Brown will guide you through several lessons (NGSS-aligned!), lead demonstrations and have you work along at home. You’ll be given time to work the investigations into your own curriculum and be able to communicate with your peers.
Cost: $5. Plus an optional $20 for 3 STEM clock hours.
8/18/2020 Virtual Speaker Session: Equity, Inclusion & Diversity
When: Aug 18, 12-1 PT
Where: Online, registration required
Tune into a candid conversation with Kaiser Permanente Leaders around Equity, Inclusion & Diversity.
At KP, EID goes beyond culturally competent care – it infuses our workforce and energizes us to do more and do better for ourselves and the communities we serve.
Begins 8/18/2020 Science In Your Neighborhood Professional Development Course
When: Beginning Aug 18
Where: Online, registration required
IslandWood is registering now for their upcoming Science in Your Neighborhood course, running from August – December! During this course you will collaborate with teachers and IslandWood staff to bring science alive for your students. Explore how local phenomena can be used to guide unit planning and delivery across disciplines. Develop strategies for empowering students to identify local phenomena that is interesting, relevant, and draws on the strengths of their own communities. Integrate the NGSS Science and Engineering Practices into exploration of your schoolyard or your student’s neighborhoods to respond to the context of remote teaching and learning. Throughout the course, we will be engaging in critical dialogue and reflecting on the role of localized science in supporting equity, justice, and anti-racism in education.
- Online sessions include a large group introductory session on August 18th* from 1-4 pm followed by three small group working sessions (September – November) and a final sharing session to learn from the work of other groups (December).
- Up to 14 STEM Clock Hours (approval pending)
- $380 stipend for completion, implementation and participating in assessments.
*This session is filling fast. If their is sufficient demand another class start date will be offered so please fill out the short application even if you can’t attend on August 18th.
For more information visit the IslandWood pd website and select the Science In Your Neighborhood drop down. You can fill out a short application for the course here.
When: Aug 20, 7pm ET
Where: Online, registration required
The Council of State Science Supervisors has partnered with the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) and the National Science Education Leadership Association (NSELA) to develop a series of one-pagers for teachers of science, science specialists, and administrators to address four areas: (1) Curriculum, (2) Instruction, (3) Assessment, and (4) Safety and Well-Being. The resources are designed to empower planning and support decision-making in ways that center students in science teaching and learning. The three organizations are hosting a web seminar about these documents and other science resources on Thursday, August 20, 2020, at 7:00 pm ET.
See the guidance documents from CSSS here.
When: Sept 3, 10, 17, 24, 7:00-8:30 pm ET
Where: Online, registration required
Join us for the Topic Study for K–12 Science Teachers: Distance-Learning Strategies That Support Student Sensemaking webinars on September 3, 10, 17 and 24 from 7:00 to 8:30 pm Eastern and explore ways in which you can continue to give your students experience with relevant, intriguing phenomena to create the need to engage in science learning to explain what they’ve observed using distance-learning strategies.
Other Resources
Student Resources
Colleges May Adjust Financial Aid Based on Change in Circumstances
If someone in your family has lost a job or is working less, colleges may be able to provide more financial aid.
Colleges may adjust financial aid based on a student’s or parent’s job loss, reduced income, loss of benefits (like child support), or even extraordinary medical or dental bills. Each situation is different, and colleges’ requirements vary, so students should contact the financial aid office to talk about options:
- If you’ve already filed a 2020-21 FAFSA or WASFA, talk to the financial aid office about your situation.
- If you haven’t applied for financial aid, it’s not too late. Submit your application, then follow up with the college to discuss changes.
Learn more about financial aid appeals and planning for the future during COVID on the Washington Student Achievement Council website. SwiftStudent is an online tool that can help students learn about the financial aid appeals process.
Educator Resources
Learning Together 2020 – From the UW College of Education
Our usual ways of doing school have been disrupted in response to COVID-19, shining a glaring spotlight on longstanding inequities within our systems. Around the world, communities are coming together to challenge the deep structural racism that exists within our justice system and society at large, including our school systems. We live in a moment of great potential; we can and must use this disruption to the status quo to catalyze transformation. Together, let’s re-imagine schools as sites for justice, well-being and connection.
The University of Washington College of Education is working to offer support on issues that we’re hearing about from partners:
- What can teaching and learning look like in our new circumstances?
- How can we support students’ social and emotional needs in these uncertain times?
- How can we build partnerships with families? How can we build systems that center families in decision-making?
- How can we enact justice in our school systems? How can we engage students in learning about and enacting justice?
Visit the Learning Together 2020 page for some resources and learning opportunities related to these questions. We’ll be adding new offerings throughout the summer as we continue to learn from and with you.
Summer Road Trip, A Smithsonian at-home activity guide
“Summer Road Trip” is a new 40-page activity guide that uses the vast collections and expertise of the Smithsonian to take learners on their own summer “road trip” of discovery. Through hands-on activities, puzzles and games, students will explore topics in STEM, history, and the arts. The guide features bilingual Spanish/English language content.
- Free and downloadable
- Connects activities across disciplines
- Suitable for grades K-8
An Integrated Approach to Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion (DEAI) in STEM
As part of the Women in STEM, Manufacturing, and Design (WiSTEM2D) project, SSEC Director Dr. Carol O’Donnell and Johnson & Johnson colleague Dr. Shelina Ramnarine presented “An Integrated Approach to Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Inclusion (DEAI) in STEM” at the virtual Global STEM Leadership Alliance, which had 600 attendees. Carol and Erika Wakefield, Senior Director of Customer Insights at Johnson & Johnson and expert in healthcare operations, hosted a virtual VIP session with STEM teachers in Florida to discuss “two pandemics” facing STEM educators today—COVID-19 and institutional racism. Download the PDF.
100K10 has received many great resources and ideas on how to support teachers, caregivers, and students during the pandemic. An aggregated list is available for your convenience. Please feel free to hop in to this editable document and add any additional resources that you think could be helpful to others. 100K10 will continue to share this document weekly.
While there are many wonderful anti-racism resource lists around circulating, 100K10 wanted to share the resource list they have been using in case it’s a useful jumping off point. This is in no way comprehensive, and it is designed specifically for non-Black people, including other people of color, who are committed to rooting out white supremacy in themselves and their communities. 100K10 will add to this document as we all continue learning, and if you have resources to add, please go ahead and add them in directly.
Academic Guidance for Science During the COVID-19 Pandemic
“In science, priority instructional content is not defined as specific topics or ideas but rather the approach of integrating three dimensions: disciplinary core ideas, science and engineering practices, and cross-cutting concepts. Rigorous science standards are intended to prepare students to make sense of real-world phenomena and problems in ways that combine both science knowledge and practice and are backed by rigorous research that says students learn science by doing science.”
CCSSO’s Restart and Recovery: Considerations for Teaching and Learning addresses the critical set of challenges that states and school systems will face as they plan for teaching and learning in the 2020-21 school year, including in science. Learn more here.
Outdoor Learning Spaces as a Solution for Schools Safely Returning to Face-to-Face Instruction
Schools across the country are grappling with the prospect of bringing students, teachers, and staff back to campus in a safe way. As public health officials have noted that outdoor activities pose less risk of COVID-19 transmission than indoor activities, renewed conversation has been sparked around the benefits of outdoor instruction. The COVID-19 Outdoor Learning Project, a national initiative launched by a collaboration between Green Schoolyards America, Lawrence Hall of Science, the Environmental Literacy and Sustainability Initiative, and Ten Strands are assembling working groups and will be creating frameworks, strategies, and guidance for outdoor learning over the coming weeks.
Access resources and find out more here.
Recruitment and Retention: Policy Strategies for Teacher Pipelines
Recruiting and retaining qualified STEM teachers is critical to improving the quality of K-12 STEM education. Research findings highlight numerous benefits for students who are taught by STEM educators from similar experiences and backgrounds. A new infographic by the Education Commission of the States highlights challenges and opportunities for improving teacher pipelines.
This Is What a Scientist Looks Like
The idea is simple: Students who see themselves in science are more likely to imagine themselves working in the field. A project called “I Am A Scientist” is giving middle and high school students the opportunity to interact with modern-day researchers — breaking down barriers like race, gender, and personal interests. It provides teachers with toolkits containing stories, posters, and career resources showcasing 22 scientists’ range of personalities, backgrounds, pathways, and passions. Many of those portrayed have Harvard connections.
Misc
Take a survey to help the Museum of Flight
As we head into the fall and many school buildings remained closed, the Museum of Flight recognizes that learning does not stop! And, as students, caregivers and educators seek-out resources and partnerships, the Museum of Flight is committed to continuing innovative, engaging and meaningful programming.
This 10-minute survey will help Museum staff design programs which meet the needs and interests of the community, while leveraging the at-home learning environment alongside the resources and expertise of the Museum.
Please consider completing this survey as well as forwarding it on to others.