OC STEM partnered with the Orange County Department of Education and the PEAR Institute at Harvard University to host a two day training on the Dimensions of Success (DoS) observation tool to over 23 Orange County instructional day, expanded learning and early learning teachers and educators. Participating school, school districts and expanded learning programs included:
- Anaheim Elementary
- Anaheim Family YMCA
- Boys & Girls Club of Cypress
- Cypress School District
- Edison High School
- Ocean View School District
- OceanQuest
- Orange Unified School District
- Orange Unified School District Science Center
- Talbert Middle School
- Tustin Unified School District
The DoS observation tool defines twelve indicators (dimensions) of success which fall in four broad domains: Features of the Learning Environment, Activity Engagement, STEM Knowledge and Practices, and Youth Development in STEM. Each dimension has its own 4-level rubric with descriptions of increasing quality. Teachers learned how to use the different rubrics to observe classroom learning activities, assess their impact on participants, and give feedback to program staff to improve different elements of instruction and design. The DoS tool allows researchers, practitioners, and other stakeholders to track the quality of STEM learning opportunities and to better articulate program areas that work well and areas that need improvement.
Follow up is being conducted with the group on creating a school-day pilot to be used across different sectors.
Learn more about the Dimensions of Success tool at pearweb.org.
