The Learning in Places Oregon cohort is a group of Oregon educators who will engage in a yearlong professional learning opportunity focused on a model of field-based science education that centers equity and families’ cultural ways of knowing, is NGSS aligned, and asks questions that involve ethical deliberation and decision-making in the form of “should we” questions (what should we do?). Educators in the cohort will come together for virtual and in-person co-design sessions and will implement elements of the Learning in Places framework with their students (or in another context, if they don’t work directly with students). Throughout, educators will engage with researchers to study the Learning in Places framework.

Educators meet several times throughout the academic year to engage in co-design: collaboratively and iteratively revising, refining, and expanding the existing Learning in Places model, storyline, and resources as well as their own practice. The primary expectations are:

• Pilot Learning in Places classroom storyline with a group of students between August 2024-May 2025 (If you do not work with students/children, this does not mean you cannot participate! We look forward to collaborating with you to build an implementation plan for your context.) 
• Contribute to Learning Places Research by participating in a total of two one-on-one virtual interviews (approximately 1 hour per interview) across the project year with a member of the Learning in Places team.
• Attend and actively participate in all professional learning opportunities:

Educators joining the Oregon cohort will be given a detailed list of expectations as part of the registration process.

Interest forms to join the Oregon cohort were due on April 4, 2024. The OSU Extension Service Outdoor School and Learning in Places teams will review the forms and will invite selected educators to complete the full registration for the cohort. (Priority will be given to educators who work with and/or support students attending state-funded outdoor school programs in Oregon, and we will additionally attempt to balance participation by geographic location and types of roles/positions.)

Interest Forms were due on April 4, 2024. 

No. There is no cost to educators to participate in the Oregon cohort. All materials will be provided.

Yes. A $2,000 annual stipend is available for educators who work with students attending state-funded outdoor school programs AND who successfully fulfill the commitments of participating in the Learning in Places cohort. 

Educators who do not work with students attending outdoor school are not eligible for stipends. Additionally, OSU employees, even those who work directly with students attending outdoor school, are not eligible for stipends.

Stipends will be paid in two installments, one after the Fall 2024 online Summit, and one at the end of the program year. All stipends will be paid through the OSU online vendor system (registration required; instructions will be provided). 

Yes, we can provide Oregon educators with a PDU certificate for participation in the cohort. We will provide a single PDU certificate at the end of the school year, unless an educator requests otherwise. 

Yes, we are offering optional graduate credit through Eastern Oregon University. The graduate course (ED 510) will officially be listed as a single 5-credit course in Spring 2025, though it requires participation throughout the cohort starting in Summer 2024. For educators who work with students attending state-funded outdoor school programs, we are subsidizing the cost of the credit. A participating educator will be responsible for paying $250 ($50/credit) for the 5-credit course. Educators eligible for subsidized credit are also eligible for the $2,000 annual stipend and will receive their first stipend payment of $1,000 prior to the fee due date for the Spring 2025 EOU course.

Please contact our Curriculum and Professional Development Coordinator, Kristi Backe, at kristi.backe@oregonstate.edu or 541-737-5587.