Recent News
Teacher Education Fellowship
Jan 20, 2017
MA in Education and Teaching Credentials
Math & Science Education
Claremont Graduate University (CGU), with support from the National Science Foundation, is launching the Claremont Colleges STEM Initiative (CCSI) to increase the number of highly qualified STEM educators working in area public schools.
2016 Newsletter
Jan 19, 2017
Featured Articles
Join Us for the First Liberal Studies Reunion Oct. 21
Come and meet other Liberal Studies alumni and current faculty, learn what’s happening in the program today, and share ideas for future alumni activities, such as a lecture series or summer workshops on campus.
Liberal Studies Department to Hold Pancake Breakfast
Jan 9, 2017
Current Liberal Studies students are invited to a networking event later this month with faculty and staff that includes free breakfast.
The event, a pancake breakfast, will be held from 7 a.m to 8:30 a.m. Jan. 24 in the Learn By Doing Lab, Building 38, room 131.
All LS students are welcome to attend the event.
For questions, call 805-756-2935 or email libstud@calpoly.edu.
NASA Research Internship Yields Real-World Experience at Home and Abroad
Oct 7, 2016
Zoë Sharp, NASA Armstrong, SOFIA Program and STEM Teacher and Researcher Program
My passion for relationships, leadership and learning align when I am working in a classroom with 30 pairs of eyes staring at me.
For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to pursue a career in elementary education. Yet, before my undergraduate career, I was not strong in any STEM disciplines and lacked the confidence to explore them, let alone teach them.
Letter from the Chair - 2016
Oct 7, 2016
Greetings from the Cal Poly Liberal Studies Department. The 2015-16 academic year was exciting for us in many ways.
We hope you’ll share the excitement at the first Liberal Studies Department Reunion during Mustang Family Weekend on October 21. The reunion will be a great time to connect with other alumni, share ideas, and of course relax with a glass of wine and a rooftop view of San Luis Obispo. Check our website for more information or register now.
Last year we had the largest graduating class in the last 10 years — 107 students, many of whom are now pursuing a multiple subject credential. We are so proud of our graduates!
Summer Liberal Studies Program Brings Development Opportunities to Future, Current Educators
Oct 7, 2016
Liberal Studies major Megan McBrien immersed herself in rich learning experiences this summer at Cal Poly. Joining seasoned teachers in the Liberal Studies-led California Math and Science Project’s professional development program, she poured over curriculum and familiarized herself with the Common Core Standards.
Heading into her senior year, she jumped at the opportunity to spend two weeks as both an assistant and a participant in the workshop.
The program helped her bridge the knowledge gap between her understanding of curriculum and standards and the practical teaching skills she’d learned over the years while working in classroom settings and as a camp counselor.
Why Field Trips? Liberal Studies Students Visit the Broad, LACMA
Oct 6, 2016
By Juleen Packard, instructor, Liberal Studies Department
Photo credit: Juleen Packard
In April, students in the Liberal Studies Department’s Visual Arts for the Elementary Classroom course spent the day exploring two of Los Angeles’s most renowned art museums.
The first stop was at the recently opened Broad, located in downtown LA. The museum was designed by the architectural firm Diller Scofidio & Renfro and is located next door to the Disney concert hall — a structure of smooth, slick, shiny undulating lines, which runs counter to the Broad, a boxy, angular, porous building that you want to peek in and out of. Philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad own the collection of contemporary art inside of the Broad.
Cal Poly Alumna Launches Bilingual Program, Named Teacher of the Year
Oct 6, 2016
A Liberal Studies graduate who helped launch a bilingual program at a Sunnyvale, Calif. elementary school was recently named the district’s Teacher of the Year.
Colleen Espinoza (B.S., Liberal Studies, 2008) works as a kindergarten teacher at San Miguel Elementary School where she helped introduce the Juntos Dual Immersion Spanish Program at San Miguel Elementary School.
"That experience just cemented the fact that it was what I wanted to do," she said in an interview with the San Jose Mercury News.
Read more about Espinoza in the Mercury News.
Thank You to Our Generous Donors - 2016
Oct 6, 2016
Thank you to all the alumni, parents, friends and organizations that donated to the Liberal Studies Department. Private support helps provide exceptional Learn by Doing opportunities for today’s students.
Cal Poly Invites Local Teachers to Participate in Statewide Summit
Jun 22, 2016
Free day of learning and networking celebrates the profession and equips teachers
with tools to better implement new California standards
SAN LUIS OBISPO — Cal Poly will host the local gathering of the second annual Better Together: California Teachers Summit, a free statewide day of learning on July 29 that is open to all California preK-12 teachers, teacher candidates, school administrators, and other educators.
Teachers will come together at nearly 40 locations across the state to share ideas, build networks, and learn the latest strategies for implementing the new California standards in their classrooms. Building on momentum from last year’s event, which drew 15,000 teachers, the summit will feature nationally renowned speakers, TED-style EdTalks highlighting local teachers, and discussions led by teachers, for teachers.