Cohort 3 of the Ecosystem Institute gathered for another session with a focus on cross sector partnerships. OC STEM invited Cohort 2 graduates  back to participate on a facilitated panel to discuss their experiences with partnerships within their district, as well as outside of it. Participating on the panel:

  • Chris Becerra, Administrative Director, Child Development Services Brea Olinda Unified School District
  • Owen Crosby, Assistant Superintendent, Education Services Huntington Beach Union High School District
  • Greg Gardiner, Science teacher & Specialist in the Innovation Lab, Edison High School
  • Jennifer Shepherd, Assistant Superintendent, Educational Services Huntington Beach City School District

They shared their experiences in areas such as the building of a capacity of educators in all sectors, equipping educators from different settings with tools and structures that enable sustained planning or collaboration, linking in and out-of-school STEM learning in a consistent and deliberate manner, and implementing programs and outreach initiatives to engage families in building children’s STEM success. Huge thanks to our Cohort 2 grads for sharing their experience and knowledge!

David Tong, Director, TGR EDU: Create at the TGR Learning Lab led a creative and hands-on activity that showed the many relationships that exist within each Ecosystem team.

Teams were introduced to their learning progression projects,  where they will select a STEM topic and map out a specific sequence of knowledge and skills that students are expected to learn as they progress through their education. Learning progressions are visual and conceptual maps that illustrate how students might move from surface to deeper understanding within a subject area.

We look forward to seeing what each team maps out!