OAPL courses are open to any currently-employed Massachusetts public school educator whose work relates to science in grades preschool through 12. This includes general education teachers, special education teachers, ESL or language support teachers, principals, coaches, and other school or district administrators whose work relates to science. OAPL courses are not open to higher education faculty or administrators.
Please visit DESE’s OAPL page for more information and contact info for further questions about qualifications.
Browse through information about our previous OAPL programs below!
Previous programs have included…
This course was offered as part of Accelerating Science: Open Access Professional Learning Courses for Massachusetts educators. Eligible Massachusetts educators were able to take this course for free with a $150 stipend.
A Hybrid Focus Workshop for Grades 4-6 Educators
An Approved Course for MA DESE’s Accelerating Science: Open Access Professional Learning
Dive into an exploration of space as you explore Earth’s systems and the Earth’s place in the universe. Using current research and recent discoveries in the field of astronomy, including images from NASA space exploration and telescopes, participate in phenomena and inquiry-based investigations that will bring creativity to astronomy through STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math). During the remote sessions the elements and principles of art will help guide our exploration of space and planetary bodies, and help us make sense of landscape scale processes on Earth. During an in-person session at the Springfield Science Museum, we will have the opportunity to use telescopes to expand our understanding of the scale and relationship of the planets, sun and other stars to the Earth. You will leave the program with inquiry-based STEAM investigations to share with your students, as well as connections to a community of learners and informal science institutions.
Using the lens of STEAM we will:
- use images from space exploration to develop an anchoring phenomenon
- explore commonalities between Earth’s geological features and those on other planet/planetary bodies
- identify patterns in motion within our solar system, galaxies and the universe.
- apply examples of, and resources for, place-based and phenomena-based unit planning to create a storyline driven unit outline
- use physical models and digital interactives to make sense of the Earth-Sun-Moon system
- explore how drawing forms are connected to geological land forms through review and interpretation of telescopic and space exploration images
- create “stories” for planetary bodies using common drawing forms
- explore the lunar surface using telescopes and digital images using elements of art to aid interpretation
This course was FREE for eligible MA educators through MA DESE’s Accelerating Science: Open Access Professional Learning Courses.
Registration Information:
Dates and Times:
Remote Sessions: Wednesday, January 18th and Wednesday, February 15th, 2023 (3:30 PM – 6:30 PM ET)
On-Site Planetarium Session: Saturday, January 28th (2:00 PM – 8:00 PM ET)
Location: Springfield Science Museum
Cost: FREE for eligible MA educators that qualify through MA DESE’s OAPL program and includes a $150 stipend. $200 per educator from non-qualifying schools.
PDPs and Optional Graduate Credit: 12 PDPs are available without graduate credit. 22.5 PDPs and 1 graduate credit are available for $75.
Collaborating Partners: Springfield Science Museum; Bassett Planetarium (part of the Beneski Museum at Amherst College)
Arrange for this workshop for your school or school district:
Contact the Wade Institute at 617-328-1515 or wadeinstitute@wadeinstitutema.org.
This course was offered as part of Accelerating Science: Open Access Professional Learning Courses for Massachusetts educators. Eligible Massachusetts educators were able to take this course for free with $150 substitute pay.
A Focus Workshop for Grades 3-5 Educators
An Approved Course for MA DESE’s Accelerating Science: Open Access Professional Learning
Whether you are a botany expert or you are new to the world of plants, refresh your curriculum with storyline teaching and phenomena. In this workshop, you’ll follow a storyline unit focused on plant parts, basic needs, life cycles, adaptations, and more. You’ll engage in a few lessons from the unit as a learner, including the anchoring phenomenon routine and student-driven inquiry investigations, then reflect on those experiences as a teacher. During the workshop, you will learn how to construct a storyline unit, incorporate relevant phenomena, and utilize best practices for DEI in the STEM classroom, including establishing classroom norms and processes that value all student resources. You will leave the program with an outline of a storyline unit, inquiry investigations to use in your classroom, and resources for developing your own storyline unit using culturally relevant phenomena.
Using the storyline approach we will:
- Explore an anchoring phenomenon that sparks wonder at the start of the unit
- Identify phenomena relevant to your local community
- Dissect a flower and learn about the reproductive parts of a plant
- Investigate plant adaptations specialized for life in different environments
- Utilize a nature journal to document our learning
- Observe plants and pollinators in some of the New England Botanic Garden’s 19 formal gardens
- Participate in place-based learning experiences
- Complete a culminating activity for the unit
This course was FREE for eligible MA educators through MA DESE’s Accelerating Science: Open Access Professional Learning Courses.
Registration Information:
Dates and Times: Monday, March 6th and Tuesday, March 7th, 2023 (8:30 AM – 3:30 PM ET)
Location: New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, Boylston, MA.
Cost: FREE for eligible MA educators that qualify through MA DESE’s OAPL program and includes $150 substitute pay. $200 per educator from non-qualifying schools.
PDPs and Optional Graduate Credit: 14 PDPs available without graduate credit. 22.5 PDPs and 1 graduate credit from Cambridge College available for $75. Additional work is required for graduate credit.
Collaborating Partner: New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill
Arrange for this workshop for your school or school district:
Contact the Wade Institute at 617-328-1515 or wadeinstitute@wadeinstitutema.org.
This course was offered as part of Accelerating Science: Open Access Professional Learning Courses for Massachusetts educators. Eligible Massachusetts educators were able to take this course for free with $150 substitute pay.
A Focus Workshop for Grades 9-12 Educators
An Approved Course for MA DESE’s Accelerating Science: Open Access Professional Learning
Explore how to use storyline routines and anchoring phenomena to shift your curriculum to student-centered science learning as you explore the relationship between humans and the natural environment. In this workshop, you’ll follow a storyline unit focused on sustainability, management of natural resources, ecosystems health, design solutions, and more. You’ll engage in a few lessons from the unit as a learner, including the anchoring phenomenon routine and student-driven inquiry investigations, then reflect on those experiences as a teacher. During the workshop, you will learn how to construct a storyline unit, incorporate relevant phenomena, and utilize best practices for DEI in the STEM classroom, including establishing classroom norms and processes that value all student resources. You will leave the program with an outline of a storyline unit, inquiry investigations to use in your classroom, and resources for developing your own storyline unit using culturally relevant phenomena.
Using the storyline approach we will:
- Explore an anchoring phenomenon that sparks wonder at the start of the unit
- Identify phenomena relevant to your local community
- Demonstrate the importance of biodiversity in an ecosystem
- Evaluate competing design solutions for minimizing impacts to the natural environment
- Observe the relationship between humans and nature in the Blackstone River Valley
- Participate in place-based learning experiences
- Complete a culminating activity for the unit
This course is FREE for eligible MA educators through MA DESE’s Accelerating Science: Open Access Professional Learning Courses.
Registration Information:
Dates and Times: Monday, April 3rd and Tuesday, April 4th, 2023 (8:30 AM – 3:30 PM ET)
Location: Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Center, Worcester, MA.
Cost: FREE for eligible MA educators that qualify through MA DESE’s OAPL program and includes $150 substitute pay. $200 per educator from non-qualifying schools.
PDPs and Optional Graduate Credit: 14 PDPs available without graduate credit. 22.5 PDPs and 1 graduate credit from Cambridge College available for $75. Additional work is required for graduate credit.
Collaborating Partner: Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor
Arrange for this workshop for your school or school district:
Contact the Wade Institute at 617-328-1515 or wadeinstitute@wadeinstitutema.org.
A Focus Workshop for Grades 6-12 Educators
An Approved Course for MA DESE’s Accelerating Science: Open Access Professional Learning
Join the Wade Institute for Science Education for a two-day professional learning experience as we explore coding and engineering design concepts through fun, engaging, hands-on projects using the Arduino Electronics Platform. Engaging Students in the Engineering Design Process Using Sensors is designed for middle and high school teachers who are interested in incorporating digital technology and computational thinking into engineering design portions of their curriculum, but who lack the skills or confidence to get started on their own.
Delve into a variety of investigations that explore using Arduino Sensors with your students. Build a control panel for your Starship, create a Love-O-Meter, design a Color Mixing Lamp, experiment with a Motorized Pinwheel and make your own Light Theremin (a musical instrument you play by waving your hands). Then create another device of your own choosing with guidance from our instructors. We will model how to engage students with hands-on lessons that develop an understanding of the engineering design process, including using engineering design drawings and bread boards, as we explore the concepts of current, voltage, and digital logic as well as the fundamentals of programming. Experience how to guide student driven learning through critical thinking and collaborative learning activities as your students work to solve problems. We will share how the technology is used in real world applications in a wide range of industries that affect our lives as well as how this technology is used in scientific studies. As the final component of the workshop, you will be asked to select a design challenge you would like to incorporate into your own curriculum and brainstorm with your peers to identify opportunities for students to embed sensors into their projects.
You will leave the workshop with an Arduino kit to start using these materials and investigations in your classroom.
This sensor workshop is designed for Arduino beginners and intermediate users. Other sensors can be used along with the products that can be created with the kits.
Workshop Highlights:
Examine and design engineering drawings to create your own device.- Identify how Arduino can be used to address Problem-Based Learning in any science course.
- Walk away with your own sensors kit and lessons to use in your classroom.
- Gain access to on-line program software for students to use to create projects.
- Make connections with industry partners as a classroom resource.
- Gain hands-on practice with sensors as you work with middle and high school teachers who use these devices in their classrooms.
This course is FREE for eligible MA educators through MA DESE’s Accelerating Science: Open Access Professional Learning Courses.
Registration Information:
Dates and Times: Thursday, April 27th and Friday, April 28th, 2023 (8:30 AM – 3:30 PM ET)
Location: Massasoit Community College, Canton, MA
Cost: FREE for eligible MA educators that qualify through MA DESE’s OAPL program and includes $150 substitute pay. $250 per educator from non-qualifying schools.
PDPs and Optional Graduate Credit: 14 PDPs available without graduate credit. 22.5 PDPs and 1 graduate credit from Cambridge College available for $75. Additional work is required for graduate credit.