Oregon Open Learning Hub

We are excited that over 300 participants attended the Oregon Open Learning Workshops and that there is growing awareness about and interest in both Open Education Resources and the Oregon Open Learning Hub.

If you weren’t able to join one of the live workshops, please watch and share this recording to learn more about Oregon Open Learning, OER, the different types of licensing for materials, as well as learn more about various ways to add resources to the Oregon Open Learning Hub. If you’re just getting started in the Hub, check out the Oregon Open Learning User Guide.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to the Oregon Open Learning Team if you have any additional questions.

Science - Back to School Considerations

The Council of State Science Supervisors developed this series of one-pagers. These resources were designed to keep a focus on quality teaching and learning in science, with a balance of curriculum, instruction, assessment, and social-emotional considerations that are needed after experiencing the Spring onset of COVID-19.  These resources offer "lenses to view" rather than complete solutions, which may be a helpful strategy in your work.  The included vignettes can help frame discussions and decision-making in your context. 

High School Science for All -Summer PD Courses

Each summer, PMSP offers five-day summer courses on the High School Science for All curriculum: NGSS Physics, NGSS Chemistry, and NGSS Biology. This curriculum is a three-year pathway and curriculum aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The curriculum utilizes a storyline patterns approach to problem-based learning, common instructional strategies, real-world phenomena and design challenges that engage students and support their learning. The curriculum is a combination of teacher-generated and curated open-content materials. Complete distance learning resources have been developed or are in development now for all units in all courses. The Teacher-generated materials are shared freely under a Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike Creative Commons License.

General Course Information:

• Physics for the Next Generation >> August 3-7, 2020
• Biology for the Next Generation >> August 10-14, 2020
• Chemistry for the Next Generation >> August 17-21, 2020

See our website for specific course information and a link to register: https://www.pdxstem.org/professional-development-1

STEM Equity Ally Workshop - Implicit Bias & Microaggressions in STEM

Please complete this registration form to sign up for this virtual (Zoom) workshop on August 10th, 9:30 - 11:30 am.

Is your youth programming in STEM anti-racist? Our first 2020-21 workshop begins with implicit bias in education, guiding participants through how bias is present and affirmed in STEM programming/curriculum/data; who is excluded and included; and how implicit bias reinforces structural inequity in education and youth programming in STEM. Participants will create a series of questions they will use to examine their own programming or curriculum and guide changes, and discuss microaggressions that can inhibit the process within the context of STEM learning environments.

ODE 2020-2021 School Year Guidance

In response to the changes that COVID-19 has caused in our workplaces, lives, and schools, ODE has published the Ready Schools, Safe Learners back-to-school guidance for the 2020-2021 school year. In conjunction, ODE has also released its Comprehensive Distance Learning Guidance to support school districts to redouble down on efforts to provide high quality instruction, acknowledging the challenges that we collectively face. This guidance will be updated throughout the summer in response to the changing context of COVID-19 and the directives from the Governor’s office. 

Staying Grounded when Teaching Remote 

This webinar series to support educators to stay grounded in the best practices of science teaching and learning while they shift to remote learning during school closures in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. This series focuses on routines and elements of storyline instructional models that are central to OpenSciEd, inquiryHub Biology, and NextGen Storylines materials. These webinars are a collaborative effort of the University of Colorado, The Charles A. Dana Center at the University of Texas, and OpenSciEd.

National Academies of Science New Report

New guidance out for Reopening K-12 School During the COVID-19 Pandemic from the National Academies of Science Engineering and Medicine. Big thank you to Heidi Schweingruber and the entire National Academies team for this quick turnaround! Here is a link to the summary and to the full report.

Council of Chief State School Officers

CCSSO released three important new resources to states:

• Considerations for Teaching and Learning This series of resources is designed to support states and school systems in addressing the critical set of challenges they will face as they plan for—and restart—teaching and learning in the 2020-21 school year amid the COVID-19 pandemic and in light of the moral imperative to actively redress racial and other inequities. These customizable resources were shared with state education agencies directly last week, and are now available to districts and the public through our website. 
• Assessment Considerations for Fall 2020.  This paper discusses assessment considerations for fall 2020, focusing on specific use-cases associated with key education stakeholders and offers 10 recommendations, which should be adapted to whichever re-opening scenario a school chooses. 
• COVID-19 Parent and Community Engagement. This resource is organized in two categories 1) pertaining to finding and staying connected to families, especially those whose students who were difficult to reach during the spring building closures 2) pertaining to community engagement generally as schools navigate closures related to COVID-19.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to Deb Bailey, STEM Education Specialist, Noelle Gorbett, Science Assessment Specialist, or Jamie Rumage, Science Education Specialist, if you have any questions or concerns.