EnCorps Speaker Series and Workshops

The EnCorps Speaker Series and Workshops are professional development sessions for EnCorps Fellows, Teachers and STEMx Tutors. During our online sessions, leading experts discuss important and timely issues such as how to leverage artificial intelligence, how to create an inclusive learning environment and how to implement the latest instructional practices.

Register for upcoming sessions and access recordings of recent events.

Math Therapy: how to help ALL students build better relationships with math

October 3, 2024, 4:30 – 5:45 PM PDT

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 in every session. This is your chance to make a real difference—not just in your students’ grades, but in how they see themselves as math learners. Let’s do this!

Vanessa Vakharia

Meet Your Host: Vanessa Vakharia

Known as the Lady Gaga of math education, Vanessa is the founder and director of The Math Guru, a super cool boutique math & science tutoring studio in Toronto that’s changing stereotypes about what math education looks like. She is also the host of the Math Therapy podcast, author of the Math Hacks Scholastic book series, author of the NEW bestselling book Math Therapy, and lead singer/keytarist for rock band Goodnight Sunrise. She has her Bachelor of Commerce, Teaching Degree, and Masters of Math Education. She appears regularly on national television and news outlets as an expert in math education and math positivity, and her #goals are to be Oprah-level-famous and to totally change math culture so that STEM is finally as cool as every single Taylor Swift song ever written. She failed Grade 11 math twice, which was the best thing that ever happened to her.

THREE-PART ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN EDUCATION SERIES
For EnCorps Fellows, Teachers & Tutors

Part 1: The Double-Edged Sword of AI in Education
September 17, 2024, 4:30 – 5:45 PM PST

AI might seem like a magic wand, but it should be wielded with caution. In this session, you’ll explore how teachers can use AI to enhance instruction while avoiding the pitfalls of automation. We will discuss both the benefits and risks of AI in the classroom and the real world. Discover practical methods to leverage AI for creativity and critical thinking while understanding its limitations. The session provides a simple framework for teachers, administrators, and coaches to guide others in AI exploration, focusing on both helpful and harmful uses and preparing students for the future of work.

Part 2: Make Learning Stick with AI
October 24, 2024, 4:30 -5:45 PM PST

Do your students suffer from post-test amnesia? Why is it so common for students to forget information shortly after a test? In this session, you’ll discover how to use research-based strategies from the popular books Make It Stick and Powerful Teaching to interrupt the forgetting process and promote long-term retention. We’ll explore how AI chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini can be used to enhance these strategies by generating retrieval practice activities and ideas for spaced repetition. You’ll leave with a toolkit of low-prep, AI-infused activities that you can implement immediately in your secondary or upper elementary classrooms.

Part 3: AI-Powered Tools for Math & Science Teachers
November 20, 2024, 4:30 – 5:45 PM PST

Discover and explore AI tools made specifically for math and science educators. In this webinar, we’ll showcase examples of how AI can streamline lesson planning, generate problems aligned with standards, and increase student engagement. Whether you’re a tech newbie or an AI enthusiast, this webinar will equip you with practical strategies to level up your classroom.

Cathleen Beachboard

Meet Your Host of the Three-Part AI in Education Series: Karle Delo

Karle Delo (@coachkarle) is an accomplished Curriculum Director, Instructional Coach, and education speaker. With over a decade of experience teaching middle school science and serving as a K-12 instructional coach, Karle understands the needs and challenges faced by K-12 educators across different grade levels. She has a Master of Arts in Educational Technology and was named one of the top 30 K-12 EdTech Influencers to follow in 2023 by EdTech Magazine. Karle offers training on AI tools and classroom technologies through PD and short-form content on social media as @coachkarle.

WATCH RECORDED SESSIONS

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. EnCorps Executive Director, Amy Kim, and EnCorps Educator, Yujia Ding, will join Pedagog.ai leaders to discuss the transformative potential of AI-driven tools for educators, including the creation of engaging lesson plans, assignments, assessments, and more.

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
Cathleen Beachboard

Speakers:

  • Amy Kim, Ph.D: Physical Chemistry and Executive Director of EnCorps, Inc.
  • 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.

Cathleen Beachboard

Speaker: Priten Shah

The Joys of Teaching and Learning

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.

Alex Kajitani

Speaker: 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. Engaging, effective teaching speaks to students where they live. This session offers teachers the tools, courage and expertise to combat negative stereotypes of mathematicians as “nerdy” and “boring” and delivers easy-to-implement, hands-on strategies that turn even the most hardened student into one that says, “Hey, that’s pretty cool – and so is my teacher!” In this fast-paced and engaging session, we’ll cover how to:

  1. Help students see the true value of math in their own lives.
  2. Persevere in math despite frustration.
  3. Deliver short & highly engaging math activities that will excite and engage students!
Alex Kajitani

Speaker: 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.

Cathleen Beachboard

Speaker: Jessica Velasco