Facilitator Resources
Building The Capacity Of Educators
Suites of resources on a range of early STEAM topics for facilitators and coaches to use in professional learning with educators.
Developing a Plan for STEAM PL
This section covers the following strategies and resources for planning STEAM PL:
- elements of effective PL
- examples of active, playful adult learning
- key ideas to shape the PL focus
- ways to connect PL to participants’ goals and contexts
Elements of Effective PL
Effective PL opportunities for educators often have these key elements (Darling-Hammond et al., 2017). We will explore these elements throughout the module.
Participating in active (hands-on and minds-on) experiences can enhance educators’ learning. Play makes the process more enjoyable.
PL sessions should have an identified focus with clearly defined goals. A series of several related PL sessions provides opportunities to connect, expand, and deepen participants’ STEAM learning.
When participants have opportunities to collaborate in safe learning spaces, they engage in mutual learning and sharing of ideas.
Models of effective practices (for example, think-pair-share and gallery explorations) give participants concrete ideas to spark their thinking.
Facilitators and coaches guide participants’ learning and provide resources that are individualized to participants’ goals and contexts.
Participants need time to reflect, share, receive input on, and change their practice. Reflection can be done individually or collaboratively with other participants or facilitators.
Meaningful PL that leads to improved practices is not typically achieved in a single PL session. Participants need multiple opportunities over time to deepen and sustain their learning.
Reflect:
Consider your role as a PL facilitator. What are some of your areas of strength? What are some areas you would like to grow in?
Adults Learn Through Play Too!
Active, playful experiences can support educators’ learning. Observe these video examples of educators engaging in playful activities in their PL sessions.
In the first example, educators work in pairs for a role-play activity with puzzles. One educator pretends to be the “child” working on the puzzle, and the other educator practices using math vocabulary and open-ended questions to guide the “child.”
In the second example, educators work in small groups to design and build wind cars. Educators test out their wind car creations by placing them in front of a large fan.
Reflect:
- In what ways was each experience active and playful?
- What STEAM concepts did participants explore in each experience?
- How do you think the active, playful nature of the experience contributed to adults’ learning?
Role-Play with Puzzles
Adults Build Wind Cars
Benefits of Active Learning for Adults
Individuals learn best when they construct their own knowledge through active learning experiences rather than passively receiving information.
Active learning offers several benefits for adults:
- Adults better understand what children might be thinking when they engage in similar experiences.
- Adults playfully explore and experiment with STEAM concepts.
- Adults experience joyful learning and positive STEAM mindsets.
Visit the Resource Library for examples of playful Activities for Adults that you might use in STEAM PL.
Tinkering as an Active Learning Experience for Adults
Tinkering is a hands-on, minds-on approach to learning that prioritizes open-ended explorations with materials and ideas. Just like with children, tinkering is an effective approach to support adult learning in STEAM PL. For example, adults might tinker with manipulatives or work in small groups to complete a design challenge, like in the wind cars video. Tinkering encourages creativity and problem-solving, allowing adults to experiment and discover through trial and error. It also builds adults’ confidence in their abilities to explore and experiment with STEAM ideas.
For additional resources and examples of how to engage adult learners in tinkering, visit the Exploratorium website and the STEAM Starters Modules.
Develop a Clear and Coherent Content Focus
Effective PL sessions have clearly defined goals for participants. The sessions are organized into multiple sections, each offering distinct takeaways that build on each other. A series of connected sessions provides a coherent learning experience, allowing participants to reinforce prior STEAM knowledge and strengthen their teaching practice.
Review these key ideas as you plan your STEAM PL content:
- Reflect on your agency’s STEAM goals and data to learn about participants’ strengths and areas of growth. For instance, you might review educator surveys, notes from conversations with educators, child assessments, or observations.
- Identify ways to promote participants’ positive math and science mindsets.
- Strengthen participants’ knowledge of STEAM content through a series of PL sessions that build on each other.
- Highlight teaching practices that support children’s STEAM learning.
- Connect to content standards and curriculum used in learning settings or recommended by agency leadership.
Learn About CPE STEAM PL Resources
The CPE Facilitator Resources can support your agency’s STEAM PL efforts. These suites of resources:
- can be adapted for use with educators in your context and
- are aligned to California foundations and standards.
As you explore the CPE Facilitator Resources, consider your agency’s STEAM goals; PL plans; and your participants’ strengths, interests, and opportunities for growth. You might also review the Building Systems to Promote Early STEAM in Your Agency self-study module for guidance on setting STEAM goals and developing a PL plan.
Reflect:
Consider your agency’s STEAM goals and educators’ interests, strengths, and opportunities for growth. Which CPE Facilitator Resources might work well in your context?
Observe: Tailoring STEAM PL: Understanding Children in Your Context
Observe this video of Mary Childrey, a program supervisor at a county office of education (COE), describing how facilitators might support educators to implement activities based on the children in their respective settings.
Reflect:
Consider the characteristics of the participants and learning settings that your agency serves. How might you support participants to make connections between STEAM PL and their own learning settings?
Tailoring STEAM PL: Understanding Children in Your Context
Additional Tips for Planning PL
To ensure an impactful and accessible experience for all participants, review the following tips for planning effective PL sessions:
- Use your knowledge of participants to select the time of day and duration of the PL session that will meet their availability.
- Provide incentives for participants, such as stipends, a certificate or credit for participation, or resources they can take back to their learning settings.
- Communicate about travel, public transit, and parking options for the PL location.
- Identify specific learning goals for PL sessions that build on participants’ existing knowledge and skills.
- Encourage participants to make connections between PL session learning goals, PL content, and their own teaching practices.
- Think about the PL staffing plan and facilitator–participant ratio. Review the session materials and activities to understand what level and types of support to provide.
- Provide accommodations for individuals with disabilities or varying abilities.
- Support the home language of facilitators, educators, and families. For example, you might offer PL sessions in both English and Spanish. Another example might be sharing teaching practices to support multilingual children’s math learning.
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Self-Study Modules
Building Your Capacity
Modules for leaders, professional learning facilitators, and coaches to build their knowledge and skills in how to provide early STEAM professional learning.
