October's Professional Development Opportunities

While I can't believe that it is October already (and that we are only two weeks away from fall break, which marks the mid-point in the semester), the chilly, rainy weather in my little corner of the Midwest assures me that October is here. Besides fall break, cooler temperatures, and Halloween, October also marks a time when things seem to get even busier at schools. While it can be hard to find (or make) time for professional development, I've found that PD can be an invigorating and inspiring. Fortunately, there is a plethora of free online opportunities that can work with crazy schedules.

AMLE has a number of webinars geared at middle school teachers. I'm particularly intrigued by Five Things Struggling Learners Want Teachers to Know and Do on October 27 at 4:00 pm ET

This month, ASCD has several free webinars:

• The Motivated Brain: Using the SEEKING System to Improve Student Attention, Engagement, and Perseverance, hosted by Gayle Gregory and Martha Kaufeldt, is on October 13 at 3:00 pm ET
• Seven Strengths for Reading Success, presented by Pam Allyn, Ernest Morrell, and Donalyn Miller, is on October 27 at 4:00 pm ET

As always, edWeb.net has an impressive number and assortment of free offerings. It also has a new, clearer webinar calendar, which makes it easier to see all of the opportunities. October has 26 webinars, including:

• Primarily Speaking: Tips and Tricks for Integrating Primary Documents into Teaching and Learning on October 7 at 4:00 pm ET
• Increasing Student Ownership of Learning Using Digital Portfolios on October 13 at 5:00 pm ET

Facing History and Ourselves has some fantastic-sounding webinars that would be of interest o English, humanities, and history teachers:

• He Named Me Malala on October 5 at 6:00 pm ET
• Survivors and Witnesses: Using Survivor Testimony in the Classroom on October 19 at 7:0 pm ET

#nctechat will be on Sunday, October 18 at 8:00 pm EST. The topic is "NCTE's National Day of Writing."