Ways to Sharpen Your Skills This Summer

Summer break is a well-deserved time for tutors and teachers to relax and recharge. But it’s also a perfect opportunity to pursue professional development (PD) activities that can refresh your skills and improve your teaching practice in the coming year.

Here are some summer professional development ideas for best practices in your teaching and tutoring:

Attend a conference or workshop.

There are many in-person and virtual conferences and workshops offered over the summer on a wide variety of educational topics. This is a great way to learn about new teaching strategies, curriculum resources, and technology tools. You can also network with other educators and share ideas.

Take an online course.

There are many online courses for teachers available on educational topics, from general teaching methods to specific subject matter. Online courses can be a flexible and affordable way to earn professional development credits.

Read professional development books and articles.

There are many great books and articles available on educational topics. Reading can help you learn about new ideas and strategies that you can use in your teaching. You can also select reading material that is subject specific.

Listen to education podcasts.

There are many education podcasts for teachers available that you can listen to while you’re commuting, exercising, or doing chores. Podcasts are a great way to learn about new ideas and stay up-to-date on current educational trends.

Join a professional learning community (PLC) for teachers.

A PLC is a group of educators who meet regularly to discuss teaching and learning. PLCs can be a great way to learn from other educators, share ideas, and get support.

No matter what type of professional development activity you choose, make sure it is something that interests you and will help you improve your teaching practice.  Whether you are gathering new teaching tips and strategies, assessment techniques, or focusing on technology and Edtech tools, self-directed learning and teacher professional development can improve your teaching and reduce the amount of time you will spend on back to school prep. Stay tuned for our next blog where we suggest the best podcasts and books to read this summer!