EnCorps Speaker Series
The EnCorps Speaker Series hosts interactive workshops as professional development sessions for prospective teachers, EnCorps Fellows, current teachers and STEMx Tutors. During our educational sessions, leading experts in STEM and Education discuss relevant trending topics, expand on best practices for the classroom, and present future forward engagement strategies for learners.
Register below for upcoming sessions and to access session recordings.
How Metacognition Can Transform Your Teaching
Wednesday | 4.9.25
4:30 -5:45 PM PST
Becoming a self-regulated learner can maximize your efficiency when studying and help in other areas of learning.
The act of thinking about our own thinking, or metacognition, plays a huge role in effective and efficient learning. By understanding how metacognition works, and what strategies tend to improve metacognition, we can harness it to improve learning and teach our students to do the same. In this session, cognitive scientist Megan Sumeracki explains practical strategies for leveraging metacognition in educational contexts.
Moderated By: Angel Beamer, National Programs Director @ EnCorps
Guest: Dr. Megan Sumeracki
Megan Sumeracki is a tenured professor at Rhode Island College and co-founded The Learning Scientists in 2016 with Yana Weinstein. She holds a Master’s in Experimental Psychology from Washington University in St. Louis and a PhD in Cognitive Psychology from Purdue University. Her research focuses on applying cognitive science to improve learning in educational settings. Megan is also dedicated to science communication and passionate about enhancing meaningful learning in classrooms and independent study.
Collaborative Action: Supporting Educators Through Policy Change
Wednesday | 5.7.25
5:30 – 7:00PM PST
EnCorps is hosting a virtual roundtable discussion on recent educational policy changes and their impact on K-12 schools.
The discussion, Collaborative Action: Supporting Educators Through Policy Change, will bring together voices from a variety of educational thought leaders. Executive Director Dr. Amy Hee Kim will moderate the conversation. Given the many policy shifts happening, we will focus on three key changes, including:
- Cuts to teacher training grants (info)
- Funding for before- and after-school programs ($146M reduction)
- Support for English learners and immigrant students ($157M reduction)
Moderated By: Dr. Amy Hee Kim, Executive Director @ EnCorps
Guests: Dr. Sheldon L. Eakins, Dr. Yujiya Ding, Alestra Flores-Menéndez, and Dan Chang
Amy, a trained physical chemist with a Ph.D from the University of Chicago, brings to EnCorps over 13 years of nonprofit leadership experience with organizations focused on increasing diversity in STEM. Prior to joining us in October 2023, Kim was Executive Director with Graduate Fellowships for STEM Diversity, a nonprofit providing fellowships to science and engineering graduate students from under-represented groups. She was the Chief Operating Officer at Technovation, a technology and engineering education nonprofit that empowers girls to become future leaders and problem-solvers. In addition, Kim held leadership positions with the University of Southern California Viterbi School of Engineering and Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles.
Amy strongly believes that scientists and engineers should connect and get involved with their community. Over the years, she has volunteered to be on the National Science Foundation (NSF) review panels as well as served as a reviewer for Girl Scouts Research Institute. She has also served on the main organizing committee for March for Science Los Angeles.
Sheldon L. Eakins, Ph.D., is the Founder of the Leading Equity Center. Dr. Eakins is also the host of The Art of Advocacy Livestream and the Leading Equity Podcast. Furthermore, Dr. Eakins is the author of Leading Equity: Becoming an Advocate for All Students. With over 15 years in education, he has served as a teacher, school principal, adjunct professor, and Director of Special Education.
Sheldon Eakins is passionate about helping educators accomplish equitable practices in their schools. He has earned a B.S. degree in Social Science Education, an M.S. degree in Educational Leadership, and a Ph.D. in K-12 Education.
Alestra Flores Menéndez is the Director of Multilingual Initiatives at Amplify. She brings over 20 years of experience as an educator across diverse contexts. Alestra has served as a literacy coach with Kamehameha Schools Literacy Instruction and Support and as a college English instructor at UC Berkeley and San Quentin Prison. She has designed science- and literacy-integrated curricula at UC Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science, where she authored differentiated instruction supports for students with special needs, multilingual students, and students needing additional challenge. Alestra has a long history of advocacy for empowering all students to reach their full potential, including multilingual students and students with special needs. She has demonstrated her dedication to educators and students by providing instruction and professional development all over the U.S. and in Latin America. Alestra’s professional pursuits are grounded in the belief that literacy development is a lifelong endeavor and the most impactful way to change lives.
Dr. Yujia Ding is the founder and driving force behind DYJ Consulting and Educational Services. The inspiration behind the name is deeply rooted in her culture and upbringing. The initials “DYJ” come from her Chinese name, 丁宇佳, or Ding Yu Jia. When she immigrated to the United States, the two characters that make up her Chinese name were combined into one word and thus she became known as “Yujia.”
“To succeed is to fail and to fail is to succeed.”
These are words that Yujia lives by. As a softball player and scientist, she learned early on what it meant to fail. On the field, success at the plate is defined as hitting 0.300 or above. At the bench, she may have had 99 unsuccessful results yet only needed one for the publication. Every time we succeed, we have failed many times before. More importantly, every failure is a chance to learn a lesson that builds towards future success.
Yujia is a trained scientist and a passionate educator who strives to share her expertise and experiences to create change in the world. She is the 2020 – 2021 Los Angeles Unified School District Rookie of the Year and a Dallas Independent School District Distinguished Teacher. She has worked in both a research setting and in the classroom and has seen areas where little changes can have a lasting impact. As a result, she is using her combined personal and professional experiences to support others who are navigating a unique journey of their own. In addition, Yujia is bilingual and able to converse in both Mandarin Chinese and English. Chinese is her first language and mother tongue.
Outside of the classroom, you can find Yujia working at the rock climbing gym, out on the trails training for her next marathon or spending time with her two dogs. Yujia has experience working with individuals from diverse backgrounds. She is a passionate educator that hopes to use her experiences to create lasting change in and out of the classroom.
Dan Chang is an LAUSD math teacher and education leader with a 20-year track record of improving schools in Los Angeles. From teaching students pre-algebra to leading ambitious District improvement efforts, Dan is dedicated to seeing students, families, teachers and schools succeed in LAUSD.
Teacher. Dan currently teaches mathematics at James Madison Middle School in North Hollywood. Being a public school math teacher was Dan’s dream job since childhood. A Valley resident for 20 years, Dan brings his enthusiasm, passion and his real world experiences to help students conquer everyone’s favorite school subject…MATH!
Education Non-Profit Leader. Prior to teaching, Dan led several improvement efforts within the Los Angeles Unified School District. In 2012, he cofounded the Los Angeles Fund for Public Education. The LA Fund rallied local artists to support LAUSD arts education through its Arts Matter campaign. With the financial and program support of the LA Fund, LAUSD rolled out free breakfast in the classroom to every school over 3 years. Dan started his career in public education at Green Dot Public Schools. During his time at Green Dot, he led the opening of 17 high performing charter high schools throughout Los Angeles. In 2008, Dan led the turnaround of LAUSD’s most troubled high school, Locke High School in Watts.
Parent. Dan is a proud LA Unified parent and father of 3 children. He is a graduate of U.C. Berkeley and the UCLA Anderson School of Management. He was the chairman of the board of Valley Charter Schools. In his free time, Mr. Chang plays basketball and watches college sports.
Recorded Sessions
Math Therapy: How to help ALL students build better relationships with Math
Get ready to transform the way you approach teaching math! This isn’t just about helping students solve equations—it’s about helping them let go of the anxiety and fear that’s been holding them back. In this session, you’ll learn powerful strategies to help your students break through their math trauma and build a healthier relationship with math. Whether you’re working with a student who’s been stuck in a negative mindset or just needs a confidence boost, you’ll walk away with actionable tools you can use.
Presenter:
Vanessa Vakharia CEO of The Math Guru
AI for STEM Educators: A Joint Webinar with Pedagog.ai
Explore how AI can revolutionize STEM education in our upcoming joint webinar hosted by Pedagog.ai. Topics Include:
- Introduction to AI in Education: Benefits and Examples
- Contextualizing AI for the STEM Educator
- Experiences of STEM Teachers in the Age of AI
- Adapting STEM Education to Embrace Teaching with and about AI
Presenters:
Amy Kim, Ph.D Executive Director of EnCorps
Dr. Yujia Ding, M.A., M.A.Ed., Ed.D: EnCorps Educator
Nina Bamberg: Director of Growth at Pedagog.ai
The Future of STEM Education in the AI Era
A pervasive topic in education, Priten Shah, the author of “AI & the Future of Education: Teaching in the Age of Artificial Intelligence,” set out to demystify the implications of AI in the realm of education. This session will focus on AI’s impact on STEM education as well as how to incorporate teaching AI literacy as part of STEM while workshopping AI Integration in the classroom.
Presenter:
Priten Shah Entrepreneur and Author
AI for STEM Educators: A Joint Webinar with Pedagog.
After a difficult first year of high school teaching, Rebecka discovered the One Good Thing blog. She found that highlighting the beautiful and positive experiences in her classroom helped her prevent burnout and to stay in the profession. In this session, Rebecka will show how to build relationships, focus on the moments of joy, and celebrate teaching and learning.
Presenter:
Rebecka Peterson
How to Make Math Interesting, Engaging & Cool
Before students can be motivated to achieve in math, they must first see its value in their own lives. In this fast-paced and engaging session, we’ll cover how to:
- Help students see the true value of math in their own lives.
- Persevere in math despite frustration.
- Deliver short & highly engaging math activities that will excite and engage students!
Presenter:
Alex Kajitani
Relationship Building with a DEIJ Lens
EnCorps recognizes that the key to creating impactful learning environments starts with building and maintaining relationships throughout the school year. In the Relationship Building with a DEIJ Lens workshop, EnCorps Educators will gain personal awareness, culturally responsive tools, and tangible action items to create a safe and effective learning environment for this upcoming school year.
Presenter:
Jessica Velasco
