Early Educator Fellowship

Term: January 2023 - December 2023 | Monthly Virtual Meetings

Join us in this paid fellowship experience designed for K-5 educators to gain the skills needed in shaping our youngest students to be problem-solvers and difference-makers.

Applications for our third cohort of fellows are now closed. Sign up for our newsletter to stay up-to-date with future opportunities!

About This Experience.

Startland Education’s Early Educator Fellowship is a two-semester program for grade school educators to learn the human-centered design thinking process and implement it directly within their classroom––all while creating a network of support amongst their fellow teachers.

Work with other educators that share your same passion to empower youth.

Connect with mentors that could guide your solution to become a reality.
Develop skills in critical thinking and creative problem-solving.
Gain resources and strategies in bringing human-centered design to your classroom.

What is human-centered design?
Design thinking is a transferable, problem-solving framework similar to and compatible with the engineering design process, but more interdisciplinary and broadly applicable. Human-centeredness refers to the process’ emphasis on empathy, equity and creating user-centered solutions.

"5 reasons our classrooms need design thinking"

Learn more about the importance of Design Thinking from EEF Program Coordinator, Vincent Alexis-Laona.

Start

Schedule.

Semester one.

Get familiar with the program, design thinking, and your team. Start to experience a design thinking project from a student’s perspective.
Define the problem you will be targeting and dive into design thinking with an emphasis on user centered design. Start to enhance your problem solving skills and learn about methods for building those skills in students.
Bring your idea to life; flex your creative muscle and learn how design thinking can inspire innovation and creativity in your classroom.
Get support and tools for planning a design thinking project in your classroom.
Pitch your project idea to your cohort and Startland coaches.

Semester two.

Learn how to implement a design thinking project in your classroom; Problem solve with your peers to overcome barriers and pivot as needed.
Meet with Startland coaches 1-on-1 or with a team; use coaching for planning, observations, and/or feedback.
Share your accomplishments and reflections from your classroom with your cohort and fellow educators.

Benefits.

be rewarded for your efforts.

At completion of the Fellowship, Fellows earn a personal $1000 stipend. Fellows will also be able to make use of an “Innovation Fund” during their experience to help bring their classroom solutions to fruition.

display your commitment to professional development.

In recognition of their efforts, Fellows earn a Design Thinking Certificate (funded by our company partners) able to be displayed across their public, professional personas.

gain exclusive access to our network.

During (and after) their Fellowship experience, all of our Fellows will able to utilize our Startland network for help with things like recruiting guest speakers for their class, or advice on bringing entrepreneurship to their students.

Read about our previous cohort of fellows

“I’ve been teaching for 20 years. I needed something that was a little more relevant, a little more now. This has been a very good start for me.”

Amanda Dimino, ‘21 Fellow at Grandview Elementary

“I feel accomplished in being able to make an impact in and out of my own classroom.”

Rasheedat Yahaya, ‘21 Fellow at Brookside Charter Elementary

“I’ve been teaching 9 years, and I don’t think anyone has been willing to get teachers from all over the city and get into some practical projects. [...] I took away a lot of things I can implement for my students––and right, away, first-day kind of stuff too.”

Jeremy Todd, Educator at Sumner Academy

Read about some of our inaugural fellows’ final projects below.

“The G.O.A.T. ANIMAL”
Fellows: Laura Roberts & Alex Thiesson
School: Ellis Elementary

Building on their animal biology unit, these 3rd grade teachers are implementing design thinking within the curriculum to have students conceptualize an animal that can withstand all climates and terrains..

“H2OH! NO!”
Fellows: Rasheedat Yahaya & Haley Patton
School: Brookside Elementary

Honing in on the clumsiness that comes with Kindergarten, Haley and Rasheedat are working with their students to create spill-proof water bottles. Follow along with their project here.

Check out more projects

Together We Can Make an Impact.