Sponsored by
Educators are modern-day superheroes, playing the irreplaceable role of molding the minds of future generations and providing them with invaluable knowledge and resources to excel in the world. The DoSeum, San Antonio’s Museum for Kids, not only celebrates that, but is fundamentally dedicated to improving the way children learn. As an emerging leader in informal education, founded on the principles of STEM, arts, and literacy, The DoSeum is thrilled to announce its fifth annual Educator Cohort program.
This yearlong educational training program is designed to transform the learning experience by equipping educators with an exciting curriculum and revolutionary tools and resources to ensure classroom engagement and success.
“The Cohort team’s mission is to develop educators and leaders who can serve the whole learner, create equitable learning environments, and provide learners with experiences that ensure academic and career success,” explained Eugene Jimenez, Senior Educator at The DoSeum.
In 2016, The DoSeum hosted its first ever Cohort, composed of 23 educators from nine different school districts, which helped build the foundation for the program by offering new teaching methods and curating an interactive classroom environment.
This year’s curriculum will take an innovative, cross-disciplinary approach by combining STEM topics with elements of arts and literacy. Developed by the prestigious Boston Museum of Science, the highly-acclaimed “Engineering is Elementary” curriculum will provide the framework for this year’s cohort.
The program will offer in-depth learning experiences based on constructivist teaching methods spread out over the course of 2020. The spring session, from April to May, will focus on learning the curriculum through professional development workshop series composed of STEM, arts, and literacy instructional strategies. The summer session, June through July, will provide educators with the opportunity to implement these new strategies during a two-week summer museum camp practicum. The final session, from August to December, will revisit the curriculum through monthly professional development sessions and discussions on how to best incorporate the new methods into the classroom.
The Educator Cohort will also provide a unique opportunity for educators to build a lasting network amongst their fellow teachers. “Most exciting to me is not only the strong framework of the curriculum – with its focus on STEM, the arts, and literacy – but also the peer-to-peer support structure embedded within the program. We learn from each other. And as a group we have active conversations and planning sessions on how to most effectively and sustainably implement change within each cohort member’s classroom,” said DoSeum Vice President of Education Richard Kissel.
Thanks to funding from Bank of America, The DoSeum has waived a great deal of the traditional costs of this program. For the reduced fee of $400, individual participants will receive more than 100 hours of professional development that can be logged as Texas Education Agency CPE for renewing of standard certificates, teacher guides, and material kits valued at $1,500, an on-site DoSeum practicum, in-depth study of instructional materials, scaffolding lessons, and museum visits featuring topics aligned to the new curriculum.
Applications for the Educator Cohort are now open to kindergarten through eighth grade educators across all San Antonio school districts. Applications are due Jan. 7, 2020, with selections made on Jan. 14, 2020. Specifics about the cohort timeline and application requirements can be found here.
A good education is priceless, and the demand to keep learning engaging, exciting, and relatable to the world at large is growing every day. Submit an application for this year’s Education Cohort for the invaluable opportunity to transform your classroom’s success for years to come.
