I am very excited that Samantha Cook accepted my invitation to be a panelist in February! I think you will be too...
Samantha Matalone Cook, MAT, is an educator, historian, writer, maker, and speaker. She has almost three decades of experience in education, program development, and the arts and is a dedicated mentor and lifelong learner. She has a BA in Humanities with an emphasis in Medieval History and Archaeology, and an MAT from the George Washington Graduate School of Education and Human Development, specializing in Museum Education. As an educator, Samantha has worked with both small and large organizations to create educational programming that centers and connects the learner to concepts and skills. She has taught in classrooms and in private workshops, mentored other educators, and worked for and with many museums and non-profit organizations, including the Smithsonian.
Samantha consistently writes about history and the humanities, feminism, mythology, human development and learning, and alternative education and educational reform for various publications. She is an active speaker and advocate, featured at many events including Mastermind Talks, Maker Faire Bay Area, Maker Faire New York, East Bay Maker Faire, The Global Education Conference, AERO, SEA, many homeschooling and worldschooling conferences, professional development seminars for various school districts, and more. Samantha is a founder and advisor of Mothership Hackermoms, an organization in Berkeley that gives new mothers creative support and provides child care. She is founder and former ED for Curiosity Hacked, a non-profit hackerspace for kids and families, where she built international learning communities and pushed the boundaries of what learner-centered, alternative STEAM education could look like. She is a consultant and advisory board member for Home Base, a community education center for home educating families, and an advisor and consultant for SEA, and international advocacy group for secular, academic education.
Samantha works on a consulting basis with both families and organizations and leading professional development workshops. She continues to experiment with learning through teaching dynamic, project-based classes on history and the humanities through the lens of art and invention (SHTEAM), expanding how her favorite subjects can be used as a catalyst for understanding, expression, and intersectionality. Samantha has recently joined SEA as an editor for the magazine and to help build the SEA Publishing branch, with the intention of supporting other authors and midwifing high quality, interesting, and secular educational materials.
As a long-time homeschooling advocate, Samantha finds new adventures and manages mischief every day with her two teens and one preteen, all home educated; the oldest of whom has recently fledged into college. Her family practices consensual education, rooted in the belief that relationship and communication are the key to building life-long learners. Consensual education emphasizes the collaboration between educator and student, honoring the needs and interests of every member of the family, and using every available resource to gain knowledge and skills with intention, enthusiasm, and the consent of all involved. Through projects, experiences, exposure to new ideas, and making connections, Samantha has guided her children towards their interests and goals with creativity and purpose for almost two decades.
Samantha recently co-authored the book Project-Based Learning: Creating a Modern Education of Curiosity, Innovation, and Impact. Her next books to be published include a series of project-based learning centered unit studies inspired by the world of Harry Potter, and a multi-disciplinary curriculum for Ancient History, which is the first of a four part series for Pandia Press’ History Odyssey (Level 2), with a companion curriculum designed to build students’ skills in historical research and writing.
Samantha will be a panelist at the Homeschool Workshop on February 16, 2020.
Where: Lafayette Library Meeting Room
When: Sunday February 16, 2020 2:30-4:15
Tickets on sale at BocoLearning.com in February.
Walking the road less traveled as educators is as unnerving as it is exciting. So I create Homeschool events for the local community to connect in person because everyone deserves to find the comfort and confidence that comes with sharing space and ideas with educational allies.