We are thankful to be welcome on these lands in friendship. The lands we are situated on are covered by the Williams Treaties and are the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, including Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi. These lands remain home to many Indigenous nations and peoples.

We acknowledge this land out of respect for the Indigenous nations who have cared for Turtle Island, also called North America, from before the arrival of settler peoples until this day. Most importantly, we acknowledge that the history of these lands has been tainted by poor treatment and a lack of friendship with the First Nations who call them home.

This history is something we are all affected by because we are all treaty people in Canada. We all have a shared history to reflect on, and each of us is affected by this history in different ways. Our past defines our present, but if we move forward as friends and allies, then it does not have to define our future.

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Engineering Outreach Specialist (EOS) Program

The Engineering Outreach Specialist Program was developed in partnership with Ontario Tech University Engineering Outreach, the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science and the Durham District School Board (DDSB). The project includes an Engineering Outreach Specialist who will work in DDSB elementary schools to provide job embedded professional learning opportunities for K-8 educators and school leaders in the areas of Engineering, STEM, and Computational Thinking Education.

The goal of the Engineering Outreach Specialist Program is to partner with teachers to infuse and integrate STEM areas naturally into teaching practice. By promoting and encouraging creativity and innovation in both teachers and students, the program aims to create an atmosphere where teachers feel comfortable learning alongside their students and build confidence in delivering STEM programs within their classrooms for future students.

To deliver on these objectives, Ontario Tech University Engineering Outreach has introduced an Engineering Outreach Specialist (EOS) into schools in the DDSB over the next three years. The EOS will have a background in a STEM field and experience developing and delivering STEM programming at the elementary and high school levels. Working closely with our partners, the EOS will be responsible for providing support to educators. We will deliver and curate specific teacher training modules on STEM subject areas, with a particular emphasis on coding and engineering, while providing support and mentorship to teachers to advance their teaching goals.

The EOS will provide a wide array of support including individual classroom support, observation and team teaching opportunities, gathering and sharing of resources, guidance with scheduling, planning and organizing, long-term planning, and finally evaluation and reporting. In its first year, a small group of more experienced teachers will be recruited to become mentors to first-time teachers both new to the profession and new to STEM. The second-year will include a transfer of mentorship where previous years’ mentees will become mentors and support a new cohort of teachers. Based on the learning during the first two years, the program will introduce teacher candidates into the mentorship model, creating a larger learning community. Each support piece and resource will be teacher and student-centred, building a network for STEM educators and professionals that will build capacity within the community to deliver authentic STEM programs.

For more information about this program, please contact alex.piliounis@ontariotechu.ca.

This project is funded with support from Actua and the Government of Canada’s CanCode program.