With spring just around the corner and warmer weather approaching, I find that I’m in active summer preparation mode. This is the time of year when I’m trying to plan for the perfect summer balance between professional development and relaxation – both professional growth experiences in my book! And while it may seem a little premature to be thinking about summer activities, conference abstracts submission windows are already open (and some have already passed), summer courses at universities are accepting registration, and other professional development opportunities are accepting applications.
Have you thought about your summer plans so that you can hit the classroom rested and ready to bring new ideas to your teaching?
I have the opportunity to work with several outstanding teachers through a professional development program at CU, Boulder. I thought I’d reach out to these teachers to compile a list of the professional learning experiences they would recommend to other teachers. Below you’ll find their recommendations with links to learn more. Many of the teachers strongly recommended looking into opportunities at local universities to learn more about PD opportunities offered in your area. Please consider commenting on this post to share summer PD experiences you’d recommend (nationally and locally).
American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) National Conference
Physics Education Research Conference (PERC)
National Science Teacher Association (NSTA) Conferences –
FlipCon 2015 (“The mission of the Flipped Learning Network™ is to provide educators with the knowledge, skills, and resources to successfully implement Flipped Learning.”)
Modeling Workshops - available for chemistry, biology, physical science, and middle school science (workshop descriptions)
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) Workshops
Joint Science and Technology Institute professional development for teachers program
Science Teacher and Researcher Program
Amerian Educational Research Association (AERA) Annual Meeting