Workshop Series

 

April/May 2021: Deepening Youth Engagement for STEAM & Outdoor School Professionals

This three-part series featuring instructional tools from the BEETLES Project (beetlesproject.org) will equip STEAM professionals (i.e., Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math professionals) with the skills and self-efficacy to facilitate equitable and engaging lessons with youth at outreach events, including outdoor school. The first two sessions focus on how people learn as well as observation and questioning strategies to engage students. The third session will include a collaborative process where each participant will construct an effective and inclusive lesson plan for their respective content. Each three-hour session will be interactive and provide time to get to know other STEAM professionals who teach youth throughout eastern Oregon. This workshop series is a partnership between the OSU Extension Service Outdoor School program, Greater Oregon Stem Hub (GO-STEM), and Oregon Natural Resource Education Program (ONREP).

Audience: In order to continue to build a regional network of STEAM professionals that work with youth at outdoor school, this workshop is targeted towards, but not limited to, STEAM professionals in eastern Oregon.

Accommodations: Please contact Sarah Cuddy to request accommodations for this training series. 

Stipends/Substitute Reimbursements: We are pleased to offer stipends ($60 per 3-hour training) to nonformal educators and substitute reimbursements for classroom teachers who meet the eligibility requirements. (See the details at the bottom of this page.)

PDUs/CEUs: Participants will have the opportunity to request a Professional Development Unit (PDU)/Continuing Education Unit (CEU) certificate in the post-training survey. 

Contact: Sarah Cuddy, OSU Extension Service Outdoor School Eastern Regional  Coordinator

If you are interested in attending the series but have scheduling conflicts with one or more of the workshops, please contact Sarah Cuddy.

This first workshop explores how people learn and then how to prepare field experiences to help learners build understanding about concepts taught by STEAM professionals.

Audience: In order to continue to build a regional network of STEAM professionals that work with youth at outdoor school, this workshop is targeted towards, but not limited to, STEAM professionals in eastern Oregon.

Date: Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Time: 9 a.m. to noon

Registration: Register via ONREP. (Complete one registration for the entire three-workshop series.)

This second workshop focuses on making observations and questioning strategies as key foundational skills to encourage direct student engagement with nature and STEAM content.

Audience: In order to continue to build a regional network of STEAM professionals that work with youth at outdoor school, this workshop is targeted towards, but not limited to, STEAM professionals in eastern Oregon.

Date: Tuesday, May 4, 2021

Time: 9 a.m. to noon

Registration: Register via ONREP. (Complete one registration for the entire three-workshop series.)

This third session will provide a step-by-step process to create effective STEAM activities. Participants will collaboratively create a lesson plan with a purposeful flow that includes appropriate instructional strategies by scaffolding their content into a provided lesson plan template.

Audience: In order to continue to build a regional network of STEAM professionals that work with youth at outdoor school, this workshop is targeted towards, but not limited to, STEAM professionals in eastern Oregon.

Date: Tuesday, May 25, 2021

Time: 9 a.m. to noon

Registration: Register via ONREP. (Complete one registration for the entire three-workshop series.)

March 2021: Trauma-Informed Care at Outdoor School

Many students and adults will need extra support this year and in coming years as they cope with the effects of the pandemic, which has caused widespread disruption to daily life and exacerbated injustices that were present before the appearance of COVID-19. In this online training series, educators will learn approaches and strategies for supporting students and adults at outdoor school (no matter what form it takes!) this year and beyond. 

Audience: The first two sessions are open to all educators who support students attending outdoor school (e.g., outdoor school coordinators/directors, field instructors, volunteers, and 5th and 6th grade teachers). The third session is designed for outdoor school coordinators, directors, managers, and supervisors.

Accommodations: Please contact Kristi Backe to request accommodations for this training series. 

Stipends/Substitute Reimbursements: We are pleased to offer stipends ($40 per 2-hour training) to nonformal educators and substitute reimbursements for classroom teachers who meet the eligibility requirements. (See the details at the bottom of this page.)

PDUs/CEUs: Participants will have the opportunity to request a Professional Development Unit (PDU)/Continuing Education Unit (CEU) certificate in the post-training survey. 

Contact: Kristi Backe, Curriculum and Professional Development Coordinator

We are pleased to welcome Celeste Janssen, the director of the Institute for Youth Success at Education Northwest, to facilitate this session about brain development, how trauma affects the brain, and brain regulation and dysregulation. The training will feature material from brain researchers, policy makers, and trauma-informed practice experts and answer questions like “What does it mean to have a trauma response?” This session will provide the basis for Sessions 2 and 3.

This session will be recorded and posted on the OSU Extension Service Outdoor School program’s website. This session is a prerequisite for Session 2 and Session 3. See details below (in Session 2 and Session 3 descriptions) about how to proceed if you miss Session 1. Please note that stipends for Session 1 are only available for educators who attend the training live. 

Audience: outdoor school staff and volunteers (including coordinators/directors and field instructors), 5th and 6th grade teachers, and other educators who support students attending outdoor school 

Date: Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Time: 10 a.m. to noon

Watch the Recording: A recording of this session is now available!

Training Resources:

What does it look like to implement strategies for supporting students and adults an a trauma-informed way? Celeste Janssen, the director of the Institute for Youth Success at Education Northwest, will lead educators (teachers, field instructors, outdoor school program coordinators/directors, and others) in thinking about their own techniques to manage trauma responses both in themselves and in youth they serve. 

Session 1 (see above) is a PREREQUISITE for this session. If you do not attend Session 1 live at the time it is offered, you must watch the recording of the session prior to attending Session 2. The recording of Session 1 will be posted on our website within 48 hours after the session ends. Please note that stipends for Session 1 are only available for educators who attend the training live.

Audience: outdoor school staff and volunteers (including coordinators/directors and field instructors), 5th and 6th grade teachers, and other educators who support students attending outdoor school 

Date: Wednesday, March 17, 2021

Time: 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Registration: Registration for this workshop is closed.

Training Resources:

How can outdoor school programs develop policies and systems that are trauma-informed? In this session, Celeste Janssen, the director of the Institute for Youth Success at Education Northwest, will lead outdoor school program coordinators and directors in examining the policies and practices that can support outdoor school teams in their journey to become trauma-informed programs. Celeste will use outdoor school-specific examples and interactive elements to engage you in reflecting on your own program. 

Session 1 (see above) is a PREREQUISITE for this session. If you do not attend Session 1 live at the time it is offered, you must watch the recording of the session prior to attending Session 3. The recording of Session 1 will be posted on our website within 48 hours after the session ends. Please note that stipends for Session 1 are only available for educators who attend the training live. (Session 2 is not a prerequisite for attending Session 3, though we anticipate the greatest benefits for those who attend all three sessions.)

Audience: outdoor school coordinators, directors, managers supervisors and/or site supervisors

Date: Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Time: 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Registration: Registration for this workshop is closed.

Training Resources:

Stipends for Nonformal Educators:

Nonformal outdoor school educators who attend the trainings in these series may be eligible for a stipend paid by Measure 99 funds. You are eligible for a stipend if you meet all of the following criteria: 

  • are not being compensated by an employer or from another source while attending the training(s)
  • have worked/volunteered for an outdoor school receiving Measure 99 funds in the last two years OR have a Gray Family Foundation outdoor school planning grant
  • will work/volunteer for an outdoor school receiving Measure 99 funds in 2020-2021
  • participate fully in the professional development event(s), including completion of all surveys

We will process and pay stipends at the end of a series rather than for each individual session. If you would like to request an exception to this policy, please contact Kristi Backe to discuss options that might better meet your needs. 

An individual non-formal educator is eligible for a maximum of $200 per year in outdoor school professional development stipends. 

To read about the process for requesting a stipend, please visit our Stipends and Substitute Reimbursements page.

Substitute Reimbursements:

We will reimburse a public school or district for the actual cost paid for substitute teacher(s) (up to $200/day per substitute) when one or more formal educator(s) from that school/district attend(s) an OSU Extension Service Outdoor School-sponsored professional development event/activity. If the public school/district receives reimbursement for these costs from another source, they are not eligible to receive reimbursement from the OSU Extension Service Outdoor School program via Measure 99 funding. It is the school’s/district’s responsibility to hire and pay the substitute. Reimbursements are contingent upon an educator's full participation in the professional development event, including completion of all surveys, and are limited to educators who support students attending outdoor school via Measure 99 funds. 

To read about the process for requesting a substitute reimbursement, please visit our Stipends and Substitute Reimbursements page.

Return to the Events and Workshops page.

Back to top