PD Sessions for the middle part of November updated
I'm going to go ahead and update this again - 4 of the previous 6 PD sessions have taken place already - while carrying over content for the 2nd week of November. Very little appears to be scheduled for Thanksgiving week, so while this focuses on the weeks of Nov 9-13 and 16-20, it realistically will cover most of the remainder of November.
Like I said last time, the good news is that October/November is a popular time of year for professional development - a lot of organizations trying to get sessions done before we get closer to the holiday season. The bad news (at least personally) is that it seems like I've been constantly on the move because of that - just got back from Las Vegas Monday/Tuesday for an Intuit training session, then a preservice PD session for my friends at Metro State College yesterday, and now the national Jump$tart Conference here in Colorado this weekend! So far I've been able to keep on top of research and preparing of content posts (and I've got a little bit of "flex" time coming up) so hopefully I won't fall TOO far behind my mental schedule for this site . . .
Like I started doing over the summer, I will mention a little more detail about each of the new PD opportunities I am adding (especially since in many cases I have to "pick and choose" a single webinar to feature out of multiple choices from that provider). I'm going to start with reminders about the two carry-over sessions from the last update:
Below I'm going to continue documenting the PD items I put on the home page. As I noted above, I may "switch out" content sometime early the week of Thanksgiving to give you notice about early December PD content, but I am also assuming little new material will be added for the last two weeks of November (19-30). As usual I will not duplicate registration links from the home page, but at least can record what was offered for "posterity". Here are the new listings (in chronological order) as of today:
Council for Economic Education, "Rockonomics 101: History, Economics, Rock and Roll", 11/11, 6-7pm CT
Federal Reserve Education, "Inflation, Disinflation, and the Fed", 11/12, 3:30-4:30pm CT
Econiful, "Turkey-nomics", 11/12, 6-7pm CT
The World War I Museum/Memorial, "Rights and World War I", 11/15, 7-8pm CT
American Battlefield Trust, "3 Historical Books, 3 New Lesson Plans", 11/17, 6-7:15pm CT
The New York Historical, "Childhood in the Early U.S.", 11/18, 5-6pm CT
Finally, the third full week of November brings us two sessions from providers we don't hear from quite as often:
The American Battlefield Trust doesn't typically offer a lot of professional development, but the sessions they offer tend to be quality content and are usually marked with new lesson plans they have created connecting other content areas to American wars of the 18th or 19th century. On Tuesday, Nov 17th they are offering "3 Historical Books, 3 New Lesson Plans", focusing on Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin," Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women" and Laura Ingalls Wilder's "Little House" series. These books have connections to before, during and after the American Civil War, and this program will delve into the history highlighted within the stories. You'll also receive access to the new, free lesson plans they have developed to pair with these books.
The next night (Wed, Nov 18th) the New York Historical will be focusing on "Childhood in the Early US". They will examine vintage children’s toys and pastimes to discover what skills and values were important long ago. Learn how to bring this exploration into your classroom to boost student engagement and non-digital experiences. As always, they will pull from their own historical primary source collections for the resource material, but you do not need to live in/near New York City to benefit from their work.
The first of those sessions comes from the Council for Economic Education's EconEdLink series. Their session on Wed, Nov 11th will be looking at the intersection of history and economics for a series of lessons called "Rockonomics 101: History, Economics, Rock and Roll". This presentation by Dave Young explores how music can serve as a powerful teaching tool for understanding U.S. economics and history between the 1880s and the 1960s. Songs of this period not only entertained but also reflected and shaped the nation’s economic and social realities. By treating music as a primary source, educators can bring historical events and economic concepts to life in ways that resonate with students.
A day later (Thu, Nov 12th), Federal Reserve Education will be offering a session focused on high school teachers looking at "Inflation, Disinflation, and the Fed". Hosted by members of the education team at the St. Louis Fed, this session will equip high school and college educators with strategies to demystify complex economic concepts for students. Participants will explore ready-to-use, interactive exercises and real-world examples that transform abstract theories into tangible learning experiences. Plan to take away a complete digital resource package, including lesson plans, presentation slides, student worksheets, and more. This session is being offered earlier in the day, but registration will still get you access to the resources after the fact.
The following Sunday evening (Nov 15th) The World War I Museum in Kansas City will offer what appears to be the last session in their series focusing on basic rights and freedoms during (and after) the First World War in the United States. I know some people have strong opinions about weekend PD - while some like the opportunity to do a session on a weekend away from the stresses of the school week (like homework grading and lesson prep), others consider the weekend (and Sunday in particular) to be sacrosanct family time and not available for work interruptions. I simply put the options out there and let you choose.
In this case, they are working with the National Constitution Center (another regular provider featured here) to look at "Rights and World War I", analyzing the rights expanded, challenged and restricted during wartime, and how upheaval reshaped civic life in the United States. From free speech to surveillance, World War I tested the limits of constitutional protections, sparked national debates about citizenship and, ultimately, marked a turning point in the nation’s ongoing efforts to fulfill the promises of its founding ideals. Participants will examine landmark cases, speeches towards voting and civic inclusion, and primary sources that reveal how Americans navigated these shifting boundaries.
That same day (Nov 12th) Econiful.org will be offering their annual "Turkey-nomics" virtual session, focusing on the economics behind the holiday and the other dates immediately following (Black Friday, Cyber Monday, etc..) How has the cost of a traditional turkey dinner changed over time? They will explore that question and more, and share ready-to-use classroom activities (from Econiful and other PD providers) along the way.
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