Leah Hirsch Email and Phone Number

Lead on vision and program design for G4C Learn, a suite of programs and initiatives encompassing the most impactful and effective tools and strategies for merging learning and education with games, game design, and play. Flagship programs include a national Student Challenge game design competition and Game Plan, an educator-facing professional development deep dive into how to leverage the power of games and play in learning spaces.

Oversee a team of program officers, coordinators, and support staff to run an evening professional development (PD) program that services the 1,000 + teachers with Math for America fellowships. On any night there are about 10 -15 different courses going on, large scale public events, and 150 - 200 teachers in attendance.Develop and publish a biannual course catalog that includes 200+ courses facilitated by teachers in Math for America as well as outside experts. Manage several budget lines that support the work of providing PD.Facilitate workshops on PD design, coach and mentor teachers who want to lead PD for their colleagues. Recruit and support mathematicians, scientists, and education experts who are on the cutting edge of their fields to design and lead engaging courses for Math for America teachers. Evaluate teacher feedback and communicate it to the 300+ course facilitators who teach courses at MfA annually.

• Design lead on professional development for Early Career STEM teachers.• Developed and managed one-to-one mentoring/inter-visitation program with Early Career Teachers and Master Teachers.• Program management and support for professional development for over 1,000 STEM/STEAM teachers from NYC public schools.

• Consulted with school leaders on implementing Human Centered Design into their Professional Development.• Facilitated workshops on leveraging the Power of Games in the Classroom• Represented Institute of Play with interviews and visits to my classroom with notable press outlets including NPR, the Chicago Tribune, and the Hechinger Report. • Published an article for Edutopia about developing a "Need to Know" in game based curriculum. • Presented on Game-Based Learning, Understanding by Design, Curriculum Writing, and Assessment in New York City, Chicago, Toronto, Hartford, and Silicon Valley.

As a Leader in the School: • Mentored teachers to use backwards design to write problem-based curriculum.• Visited classrooms and provided non-evaluative feedback and support.• Collaborated with teachers to design game-based lessons, and problem-based learning activities. • Supported teachers in the incorporation of design challenges & systems thinking tools.• Successfully implemented Professional Development introducing teachers to the Design Process.In My Classroom:• Engaged socio-economically and academically diverse students in an inclusion classroom that required them to solve real world problems, collaborate, communicate, and be creative. • Implemented student-centered, inquiry-based instruction in a technology-rich classroom environment.• Collaborated with the Institute of Play to design game-like STEM curriculum. • Developed both analog and digital learning games including: Homeostasis, Evo-quest, Punnet Puppies, Cell Story, and the Minecraft Cell. • Integrated math, literacy, and Next Generation Science & Common Core Standards. • Modeled excellent classroom management and supported other staff members in this realm. • Used formative assessment data to guide lesson planning, and differentiated instruction accordingly.• Developed and executed Problem Based Design Challenges including a Rube Goldberg Machine Exhibition, Cell Cities Design Exhibition, and a Plate Power: The Thai Cooking Design Challenge. Facilitated Science Department, Grade meetings, and professional development sessions. • Taught 6th Grade Advisory, Cooking Club, and a Fitness Club after school program.

• Implemented professional development for school administrators, teachers, and non-profit leaders.• Co-created and Facilitated 1 – 3 Day Design Challenge Workshops for adults.• Used a student-centered, hands-on approach to teach adults about the power of Design Thinking. • Helped participants to transfer the protocols of the Design Process into their own work places in the education and non-profit sectors.• Reflected on, refined, and iterated my workshop instruction based on feedback from team members in this deeply collaborative educational Start Up.

• Science Department Chairperson, Lead Teacher, Grade 8., attended weekly SLT meetings. • Developed 8th Grade Science Program based on New York State Core Curriculum.• Achieved 66% 3’s and 4’s in year one of the Intermediate Level Science Exam. • Implemented hands on, inquiry based instruction in a Media Rich classroom environment.• Used assessment data to guide lesson planning.• Collaborated and Co-Taught with Special Ed. Teacher in a CTT classroom. • Supported struggling students through one-on-one tutoring during Office Hours, parent collaboration, and differentiated instruction.

• Designed inquiry-based curricula aligned with the NYC Scope and Sequence, Pre-K – 4.• Established an Early Elementary Science Lab and a 4th grade science enrichment program.

• Maintained daily functions of residential summer camp for NYC youth ages 9 – 12.• Supervised and trained staff in conflict resolution, classroom management, curriculum development, and lesson planning.• Developed programs in outdoor learning, forest ecology, and team building.

• Supervised staff and students in after school programs serving over 400 middle school students.• Facilitated tutoring programs and enrichment activities.