Making the most of summer: Professional Development

Even though the weather is in the high 70s here in Florida, as I pack for a weekend trip north to visit family, my thoughts turn towards long summer days. I always find February is the time when I can’t help planning summer travels. Sometimes there’s amazing synchronicity when where I want to be coincides with a professional development opportunity. Here are a few to consider for 2017 or future years, with a focus on low-cost programs and those that pay attendees.

 NEH Summer Seminars and Institutes for School Teachers

NEH offers tuition-free opportunities for school, college, and university educators to study a variety of humanities topics. Stipends of $600-$3,300 help cover expenses for these one- to four-week programs. There are over 40 programs for 2017 spread throughout the country with a March 1 application deadline.

 Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad

The Fulbright-Hays Seminars abroad provide opportunities for overseas experiences in non-Western European countries. Seminars are designed to provide a broad and introductory cultural orientation to a particular country or countries. The deadline for the 2017 summer programs has passed, but keep your eyes out for an announcement of the 2018 countries.

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Library of Congress Summer Teacher Institute 

Immerse yourself in the practice of teaching with primary sources from the unparalleled collections of Library of Congress. Each Institute week, Library of Congress education specialists modeling strategies for using primary sources to engage students, build critical thinking skills, and construct knowledge. 2017 offers two specialized sessions, one on WWI and one on STEM, as well as their general institutes.

National Gallery of Art Summer Teacher Institute 

The Teacher Institute is a six-day seminar held at the National Gallery in Washington D.C. that helps K–12 teachers strengthen their knowledge of art history and integrate visual art into classroom teaching. The program features lectures, gallery tours, teaching strategies, and hands-on learning experiences. The 2017 seminar examines visual art of the Renaissance from the independent city-states of Italy and the Low Countries during the 14th through the 16th centuries.

National Geographic Grosvenor Teacher Fellow Program

Fellows learn the importance of geographic literacy while traveling on ships and working with National Geographic researchers. 2017 regions for exploration include the Arctic, British and Irish Isles, Canadian Maritimes, Iceland, the Galapagos, Antarctica and more. The 2017 deadline has passed, and starting in 2018, applicants will need to be National Geographic Certified Educators.

Gilder Lehrman Teacher Seminar

Scholars and master teachers lead these one-week seminars in American history. Seminars are often held at places with a direct connection to the topic at hand, giving participants a rare opportunity to walk historic grounds, examine original artifacts, and study primary source documents in the same places where significant events occurred. 2017 seminars cover American history from the Colonial era though September 11, 2001. Seminars are fully funded for public school teachers, but there is a fee for independent school teachers.

George Washington Teacher Institute Summer Residential Program 

The George Washington Teacher Institute Summer Residential Programs are 5-day immersive experiences at Mount Vernon that teach about the life, leadership, and legacy of George Washington and the 18th-century world in which he lived. The 2017 deadline has passed.

Annenberg-Newseum Summer Teacher Institutes 

The 2017 application hasn’t been posted yet, but I hope this free three-day program at DC’s Newseum continues. This program looks at the past and future of the first amendment in regards to primary sources, the freedom of the press, ethics, and media literacy. There is a focus on technology integration in schools.

Louise Seaman Bechtel Fellowship 

This fellowship provides a $4,000 stipend to allow a qualified children’s librarian to spend a month or more reading at the University of Florida’s Baldwin Library of Historical Children’s Literature, which contains a special collection of 85,000 volumes of children’s literature published mostly before 1950. Applications have closed for summer 2017.

Oxbridge Academic Programs 

After my affordable options, this is pricey “luxury edition” for those with extra professional development funds. I’ve heard high praise, particularly in regards to quality of the academic libraries. The seminars are based in the world’s greatest centers of culture and learning – including Cambridge, Paris, and Oxford, and they are led by distinguished Humanities scholars.

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Last, but certainly not least, remember AISL’s very own Summer Institute All School Reads: Making Book Day Work at Your School hosted at Horace Mann School in New York City from June 27-29.

This is the beginning of a list that will be more helpful to all of us if you continue to add your own thoughts below. Happy summer planning!

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