Livingston & Washtenaw 
STEM Initiatives

​Computer Science Fundamentals

Professional Learning for Teachers: 
Computer Science Fundamentals was built with elementary school educators in mind. The courses have been specifically tailored to students in Kindergarten-5th grade, with no prior experience assumed or needed.
Curriculum Resources: 
The curriculum supports teachers new to the discipline with daily lesson plans made up of inquiry-based activities, videos, assessments, and computing tools that empower students to discover core computing concepts.
Course Structure: 
The courses are roughly aligned to each year of elementary school, allowing for the most robust content along the entire elementary pipeline. The core content of these courses range from approximately 12 lessons in the early grades to nearly 20 lessons in the upper grades.
Cost: Free 

Computer Science Discoveries

Program description
  • An introductory computer science course that empowers students to create authentic artifacts and engage with computer science as a medium for creativity, communication, problem solving, and fun
  • Can be taught as a 1 or 2 semester course (or 50+ course hours)
Program commitments 
The Code.org Professional Learning Program has both in-person and online supports designed to prepare teachers before and during their first year teaching CS Discoveries.

SUMMER:
  • 5-day in person session in your region (travel may be required).
SCHOOL YEAR (September - June):
  • Four, in person sessions in your region.
  • Continued professional development and resources.
Science Collaborative: A Professional Learning Series
WHAT: Participants in this 3-day professional learning series will gain the knowledge and skills needed to interpret and break down MI Science Standards performance expectations. Working together, participants will better understand the learning goals for our students, and the resulting implications for instruction and assessment.
At the end of day three, participants will gain access to a shared network of instructional/assessment resources linked to the MI Science Standards.
WHO: K—12 classroom teachers.
COST: Free

Past events

MI Science Standards: An Overview of 3D Learning

WHAT: This foundation-building 1-day professional learning may be taken as a standalone introduction to the new Michigan Science Standards.
This professional learning experience will engage teacher participants in framing how the MI Science Standards should impact instruction in their classrooms. Emphasis will be placed on (but not be limited to):
• Exploring phenomena • Building conceptual understanding • Engaging in an argument from evidence • Making thinking visible through public representation of ideas
WHO: K—12 classroom teachers.
COST: Free

NGSX: Next Generation Science Exemplar

WHAT: The focus of NGSX is integrating three-dimensional learning into science classrooms, in which K-12 teachers support students in using science and engineering practices to develop, apply, and refine disciplinary and crosscutting ideas. Teachers engage in these practices and investigate classroom cases to explore how to bring these approaches into their own classrooms.
For more details, please explore the NGSX website.
WHO: K—12 classroom teachers.

STEM Education and Project-Based Learning

This 3-day Professional Learning opportunity will:
  • Provide an introduction to the TEN80 Race Car Curriculum,
  • Highlight strategies for incorporating project-based learning opportunities into the mathematics and science classroom, and
  • Model project-based learning lessons using a remote control car.
Who should attend:
  • Middle and high school teachers.

STEM Leadership Team

​​Contact: Andrea Pisani 
​Contact: Dr. Jennifer Banks
Announcements