What Teachers are Saying about their Fellowship Experience

Thirty educators from 15 Oakland schools and institutions have been working all school year to learn about the Agency by Design framework and pursue personal inquiries in maker-centered learning. Here are what a few of them have to say about their experience and the impact of the fellowship has had on their classroom practice and learners.   

“My students, using the Agency by Design framework have had the opportunity to engage in maker-centered learning AND we have together been able to explore those impacts. Students have connected more to their school work (increased authenticity), have felt an increased sense of accomplishment and more concrete vision of community at Grass Valley.” - Roxanne Martinez, Resource Teacher/Education Specialist, Grass Valley Elementary School

“This fellowship and the Agency by Design framework has had a profound impact on my instructional practice, leadership, and vision for my school. The two most important aspects are being able to learn what teachers are doing at other schools and gain ideas and partnership, as well as learning about the Agency by Design framework. Having the support of the fellowship and the team makes sure I am going beyond just doing making to creating maker identities in incorporating thinking. Last year I feel the maker instruction I did was more about doing projects without the deeper thinking.” - Annika Mcpeek, Lead Science & Engineering Teacher, Hoover Elementary School

“This time spent in professional development has been critical for me, as these fellow educators have become my thinking partners and have supported me in developing teaching strategies that are engaging and center the student." - Crystal Barajas Barr, Art & STEAM Teacher, Urban Promise Academy Middle School

“I’m here for the people! The network and peer-learning has been invigorating.” Clayton Evans, 11th grade Physics Teacher, McClymonds High School

“My students are seeing themselves as independent learners and managers of their own learning and time because of some of the routines put in plan in our room. The framework has guided me in redirecting authority to make that happen.” - Theresa Sanders, 3rd Grade Teacher, Redwood Heights Elementary School

“[During the fellowship] is when I think about going beyond the cultural responsiveness and Ethnic Studies to marry empowering content with empowerment practices.” - Reina Cabezas, CTE Engineering Coach & Teacher, OUSD

Learn more from the fellows directly at the Culmination Event on May 5th!

Experience how teacher action research into Maker-Centered Learning is transforming classrooms and schools in Oakland!

Teacher Action Research in Maker-Centered Learning
Saturday, May 5, 9am-12pm
at Lighthouse Community Charter School
444 Hegenberger Rd, Oakland, CA 94621

Breakfast will be served, followed by presentations in:

• Leadership & Coaching: How do we ignite and support maker-centered learning at our school sites?

• Curriculum: How can the Agency by Design framework be integrated into my unit plans?  

• Instructional Strategies: What tools and structures can we create that support strategies like “Re-directing Authority” and “Co-Inspiration”?

• Thinking Routines and Maker Capacities: How do the Agency by Design thinking routines promote looking closely, exploring complexity, and finding opportunity with my learners?

• Maker Identity: What does it mean to be a maker? Am I a maker? Do my students see themselves as makers?

• Systems Thinking: How does current maker/engineering curricula, and professional development, disrupt or perpetuate systems of oppression for students of color?

This community of thirty educators represents 15 different Oakland schools and institutions. To learn more about our individual fellows check out the Who We Are section of our website.  

See presentations from educators representing the following schools and institutions:

Alliance Academy Middle School, OUSD
Burckhalter Elementary School, OUSD
Grass Valley Elementary School, OUSD
Lighthouse Community Charter School, Oakland
Lodestar Charter School, Oakland
McClymonds High School, OUSD
Oakland International High School, OUSD
Park Day School, Oakland     
Integrated Learning Specialist Program, ACOE
CodeNext Oakland
Castlemont High School, OUSD
Hoover Elementary School,  OUSD
Redwood Heights Elementary School, OUSD
Urban Promise Academy Middle School, OUSD
Urban Montessori Charter School, OUSD

Free and open to the public. Breakfast will be served.
RSVP here on Eventbrite.

We hope to see you there!

Behind the Scenes With Our Innovative Teacher Leaders

This past year thirty Agency by Design Oakland fellows have engaged in a city-wide professional learning community focusing on teacher research in Maker-Centered Learning. These dedicated educators have experienced a deep dive into the Agency by Design framework, outlined in the book, Maker-Centered Learning: Empowering Young People to Shape Their Worlds. They have then each chosen a personal inquiry to pursue in a variety of topics, including Leadership & Coaching, Curriculum, Instructional Strategies, Thinking Routines and Maker Capacities, Maker Identity, and Systems Thinking.

The Leadership & Coaching Inquiry Group, which is comprised of seven educators from five distinctly different schools (Castlemont High School, Alliance Academy of Integrated Learning, Park Day School, McClymonds High School, and Urban Montessori Charter School), is tackling the question: How do we ignite and support maker-centered learning at our school sites?

From leading professional development sessions, to one-on-one coaching, to thinking deeply about how Agency by Design ideas connect to school-wide goals, these educators are going above and beyond their job responsibilities in order to have a greater impact on the students they serve. Below are just a few of their inquiries and reflections—don’t miss the chance to learn more at the Culmination Event on May 5th! More Info Here.

“My colleague and I led a professional development experience for our staff during the January in-service day. It brought our staff alive in a way we haven’t been all year, and teachers are excited about making it happen in their rooms. One teacher mentioned that what we are doing currently is not working, and making is something we should take seriously as a pedagogical shift that will increase engagement and achievement for our young people.”

- Clayton Evans
Physics and Engineering Teacher; Engineering Pathway Director; Science Department Head, McClymonds High School, OUSD

“I am curious to discover best practices for documentation and explore which methods of documentation best serve our adult staff. [One thing I’ve done is] I started implementing PIctures of Practice during the first 10, then 20, and now 30 minutes of each full staff meeting on Wednesdays!”

- Gretchen Baglyos, 
Arts Integration Specialist and Choir Teacher, Alliance Academy Middle School, OUSD

“How might Agency by Design (the cognitive routines specifically), be a tool for teachers to work collectively to develop as Culturally Responsive educators that create engaging & relevant classrooms in partnership with students as independent learners?”

- Tim Bremner, Pathway Coach, Castlemont High School, Sustainable Urban Design Academy (SUDA) Community Health Equity Academy (CHEA), OUSD

What do you think makes a good leader? What makes a transformational leader? At our most recent fellowship meeting the Leadership & Coaching Inquiry Group reflected through a chalk talk after having read Chapter 2 in The Art of Coaching Teams, by Elena Aguilar.

Learn more about what the Agency by Design Fellows have been exploring this year at our upcoming event: Teacher Action Research in Maker-Centered Learning on Saturday, May 5, at Lighthouse Community Schools in Oakland. More info here!

Creativity and Empowerment at Lighthouse Community Public Schools

“At Lighthouse, we really think that maker-centered learning supports our students in making their dreams a reality, and in thinking about solutions to problems for themselves and their communities. And then when they enact those solutions- it’s really empowering”
-Aaron Vanderwerff, Creativity Lab Director, Lighthouse Community Public Schools

The Lighthouse Creativity Lab works with teachers to give students more opportunities to make and tinker. The Creativity Lab hosts an annual school maker faire where students in elementary, middle, and high school present projects that they have worked on over the course of the school year. The maker faire functions as a deadline for students to aim for when working on their project and a chance to share a prototype of something they have created, or try out an activity with their community. Lighthouse started their school maker faire as a high school prototype fair and quickly learned that the event increased teacher interest in making across campus; it was a major driver in growing the Creativity Lab’s maker-centered learning program from being solely based in the high school to being a K-12 program.

“In making class you can express yourself. It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t hard- it was just.. right. And it hit me that this was going to impact my life in some way.” -Sarah, Student at Lighthouse Community Public Schools

In addition to regular maker-centered learning activities, the Lighthouse Creativity Lab hosts Designing Making Experiences, which provides intensive professional development educators eager to integrate making-centered learning into their own practice. Participants in the program learn about ways making can be integrated into classrooms, schools and curricula, collaborate with participants and Creativity Lab staff to plan a project or unit for your classroom or school, and learn new skills and methods to complement their project plans. Two day workshop intensives will next be offered in February 2018.

“Maker-centered learning supports a deeper conceptual understanding, so we really appreciate the power of maker-centered learning and hands-on learning when it comes to understanding mathematical ideas, or a scientific idea, or understanding civics and how the world around us works.” -Aaron Vanderwerff, Creativity Lab Director, Lighthouse Community Public Schools

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Lighthouse Community Public Schools are located in Oakland, California and include two contiguous schools- Lighthouse Community Charter School and Lodestar. The schools serve elementary, middle, and high school students.