Never Stop Learning - Teacher Development

What comes to mind when I say "teacher development"? Do you picture taking college classes? What about attending conferences? Or reading books? When I hear teacher development I think of all these possibilities and more. Today I want to challenge you to seek out teacher development as a homeschooling parent. Here are some ways I've done it myself, or ways that are on my calendar to do:

Attend a Conference

About every other year I attend a homeschooling convention or conference. I attend classes, talk with curriculum providers, ask questions, and learn. Many times I have attended the Midwest Homeschool Convention, an option with hundreds of classes in just a couple days. There are even online conventions or conferences you can attend from the comfort of your home hosted by some groups. 

This year I'm doing a more specialized conference, The Brave Learner Conference. This has just one series of classes, panel discussions, and activities. It is centered around Julie Bogart's book of the same name, and she will be presenting at the conference. 

Read About It

There are more books and articles on education, learning, and teaching than I can count. If you have an interest there is probably a book about it somewhere. A few I've enjoyed over the years include:

• A Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola
• Teach Like Finland by Timothy D. Walker
• The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease
• A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley
• Smart, but Scattered by Peg Dawson

Go to the Source - Curriculum Providers

It is amazing to me how helpful the creators of many of the learning materials we use are. I have called and emailed with Math U See when we had a question, read their blog, and used many of their free resources. I have haunted the discussion forum at Simply Charlotte Mason for years and love their blog archives and free ebooks as well. When I had a question today about helping a younger child with his pencil grip issues I found that Handwriting Without Tears has a free class on the topic I could watch with just a click of the mouse, as well as many more classes, articles, and resources free on their website. All About Reading has a helpful Facebook group for those using the program, as well as a blog and free resources section on their website. 

Take a Class
There are so many possibilities for this, from taking a class at your local community college to online classes you pay for to MOOCs (massive online open course) that are free offerings from colleges like Harvard, MIT, and Dartmouth. Here are a few I've found:

• edX - A learning platform founded by Harvard and MIT, there are free classes from more than 100 universities on here. Many also allow you to pay a fee to take the class and receive a certificate upon completion (helpful for teachers who need official documentation of continuing education).
• Coursera - Another learning platform of classes that can be taken for free or with a fee can result in certificates. (I'm currently signed up for Writng for Young Readers: Opening the Treasure Chest. It's about writing and publishing books for children.) 
• Udemy - This site offers courses for a fee. Prices vary by class ($10-$200) and once you purchase a class you receive lifetime access to it. There are sales regularly.

Listen to Podcasts

This is something I do irregularly, often when I have a lot of driving to do or when we are on summer break.  I've listened to episodes from:

• A Delectable Education Charlotte Mason Podcast
• Art Made Easy with Patty Palmer
• The Homeschool Solutions Show with Pam Barnhill
• Read Aloud Revivial with Sarah Mackenzie
• A Brave Writer's Life in Brief

I would love to know some of your favorite books, websites, podcasts, and so on for continuing education!