Makery Facilitator & Technology Integration Specialist

Makery Facilitator & Technology Integration Specialist

Full time teaching position beginning August 2021

About Burke’s

Burke’s is an independent K-8 all girls’ school located on a 3.5-acre campus in San Francisco. Burke’s is one of California’s leading elementary schools with a 112-year tradition of educational excellence. The school combines strong academic and co-curricular programs with an emphasis on project-based learning and personal growth in a diverse and inclusive community. We emphasize the development of fundamental and higher level critical thinking skills in an atmosphere of creativity, exploration, academic rigor and joyful learning.

In 2013, a team of Burke’s teachers, technology professionals and administrators set out to create a space that would encourage and empower our girls to take risks and to use a variety of STEM/STEAM skills to design, prototype, and explore. This work brought about The Makery, a pair of flexible classroom spaces designed to engage our girls in both high-tech and low-tech project-based learning. Now eight years old, The Makery has become a leader in the maker education movement, with visitors coming from around the world to see not only our spaces but also our innovative model for project-based learning.

Position Description

The Makery Facilitator and Technology Integration Specialist will work with students, teachers, and administrators to integrate technology and project-based learning into our K-8 curriculum. This role reports to the Director of Curriculum and Program Innovation.

The Makery Facilitator will work primarily with our Lower School students and teachers (Grades K-4), collaborating with another Makery Facilitator and Technology Integration Specialist who works primarily with Upper School students and teachers (Grades 5-8). We anticipate that this division of work will evolve over time and are looking for a candidate who is eager to be part of an ongoing dialogue about how our curriculum, pedagogy, and spaces can best meet our instructional goals.

We are looking for an experienced teacher who creates a classroom culture that supports deep thinking and learning. An ideal candidate is dynamic, interested in learning and growing as a professional, eager and able to collaborate with colleagues, and experienced in best practices for project-based learning, maker education, and technology integration.

Core Competencies

• Creative and Innovative Educator: Designing and facilitating learning experiences that engage students, are grounded in the educational best practices, and foster deep understanding and real world application.
• Effective Communicator: Communicating with empathy and clarity with multiple stakeholder groups: students, families, faculty, and staff (both internally and externally).
• Life-long Learner: Developing the knowledge, skills, and understandings needed to meet new or evolving needs.
• Flexible and Resilient: Responding to new challenges and emergent needs with a growth mindset and solution-oriented approach.
• Technological Acumen: Working effectively to leverage technology as a tool for learning.
• Team Player: Working with colleagues to achieve the school’s mission to educate, encourage, & empower girls.
• Creative Problem Solver: Developing original solutions to complex problems by leveraging resources in efficient and purposeful ways.
• Commitment to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Work: Understanding, communicating, and effectively interacting with people across backgrounds and cultures to respect, seek to understand, and value individual differences to serve students better.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with faculty to creatively and effectively harness a variety of ever-changing educational technologies
• Plan, co-plan, teach, and co-teach lessons
• Work as part of the Library and Makery team to manage and continue developing the K-8 Makery program, including both curriculum and spaces
• Provide support, coaching, and training to faculty to help address identified needs related to educational technologies
• Participate in ongoing collaborations with teachers, administrators, and the Makery team related to digital citizenship, project-based learning, and the integration of technology within and across divisions
• Train and support faculty in use of software and technology related to teaching and learning
• Author and maintain curriculum and guides for technology integration
• Work with the Library team and classroom teachers to develop and coordinate media literacy, research skills, and digital citizenship curricula
• Support school-wide equity and inclusivity work through experiences and curriculum that further and foster cultural competency
• Collaborate with teachers to create inclusive learning environments
• Participate as a member of the Lower School faculty including participating in division meetings, attending assemblies, serving on school-wide committees, chaperoning field trips, and sharing supervisory responsibilities

Professional Skills & Experience

Required

• Bachelor’s Degree
• Experience as a classroom teacher (elementary experience strongly preferred)
• Expertise with educational technology and maker education
• Experience planning and implementing project-based learning (experience with the “PBL Works” or “Buck Institute for Education” model for PBL strongly preferred)
• Proven collaborator with a history of working closely with a variety of colleagues
• Experience with and commitment to professional and curriculum development centered around Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion work
• Forward-thinking vision and a demonstrated interest in exploring ways technology and making can enhance learning
• Expertise with Apple technology (OSX and iOS) and Google Apps for Education (G Suite)

Preferred

• Understanding and appreciation of the social-emotional development of girls
• Familiarity with Responsive Classroom and Toolbox curriculum
• Teaching credential and/or National Board Certification
• Experience designing curriculum using the Understanding by Design (UbD) framework
• History of coaching and/or leading faculty professional development
• Expertise with Seesaw, Google Classroom, design thinking, and teaching coding

Note: While the Covid-19 health & safety related protocols of our hybrid and distance learning plan has limited access to the Makery spaces, our program has grown stronger as our flexible & resilient Makery team infused learning across our campus with the “Makery Mindset.” It is possible that the health & safety protocols will continue into the 2021-2022 school year. We are looking for someone who embodies a growth mindset and will continue this work furthering the Makery Mindset both on day one and as we transition back to a more normal use of our learning spaces.

Compensation

Burke’s offers competitive compensation based on prior experience and position requirements. Comprehensive benefits are provided. More information about the school can be found on the website at www.Burkes.org.

To Apply

Apply for this role at burkes.workable.com.  No telephone calls, please.

Burke’s is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to continuing to build an inclusive educational community and therefore are actively pursuing diversity in our administration, faculty, and student body. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply.

Tagged as: K-6