Standard 6

Educators and leaders participate in an ongoing system of STEM-specific professional learning.

The educators at Somerset Gables are required to attend a minimum of two professional learning activities, one of those being a STEM related workshop. Teachers are then given the opportunity to share their learning experiences in our weekly Wednesday staff meetings. Through collaboration and Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s), our teachers are able to expose our students to differentiated learning opportunities that meet all of their academic needs. By utilizing these methods in our school, our educators can improve their instructional strategies in order to ensure students receive excellent educational experiences.
Some of our teachers have attended conferences, such as “Get Your Teach On!” to further develop skills and instructional methods. After attending conferences, teachers are asked to present all of the information learned to ensure that new pedagogical information is shared with all faculty. During these presentations, educators are split up into grade levels to discuss information particular to their classrooms. This allows our teachers to understand how rigor and creativity go hand-in-hand – a concept directly related to our STEM initiatives. Many teachers also attended a seminar based specifically on STEM concepts in order to help them gain new knowledge on how to include these concepts across all subject areas. We were able to send new teachers and experienced ones, to ensure that all teachers, regardless of their experience level, continue growing and improving their practice.