Georgia’s professional development paradigm is shifting. Gone are the days of an entire faculty sitting through eight hours of generic training. The new focus is on personalized, relevant, and useful professional learning that is both measurable and engaging for teachers. 

With this new shift in approach in mind, here is a list of summer professional development opportunities across the state: 

Free Professional Development for Georgia Teachers 

South Georgia K12 EdTech Workshops

July 13-14, 2016 

Presented by Coastal Plains RESA, this EdTech Workshop was developed to give educators in South Georgia access to technology training to enhance the students’ classroom experience. Find out more information about the EdTech Workshop here or check out Coastal Plains RESA’s site for more professional development offerings. 

Power Up for 30 Training

Power Up for 30 builds on research demonstrating a strong relationship between physical activity and brain activity. It’s beneficial for all teachers because Power Up for 30 allows schools to implement physical activity in a way that fits their environment using their current resources and personnel. Attend the free one-day training this summer and learn and plan how to get your school moving and having fun in the fall while increasing student achievement. Plus you also get a $75 stipend for completing the training! Email Katie Smith to register for the virtual training or to learn about other virtual and face-to-face trainings, click here.

STEM Teacher's Institute

May 31-June 3, 2016

A week-long Teacher’s Institute spotlighting discoveries from the recently recovered CSS Georgia shipwreck will be held at Georgia Tech Savannah. This workshop will cover a variety of hands-on activities that can be replicated for the classroom and used to create lesson plans. Organizers recommend the workshop to 4th-12th grade teachers who may register at here for 20 available slots. The workshop is open to teachers from Bryan, Chatham, Effingham, and Liberty counties in Georgia; participants will receive a $400 stipend. For questions or more information, contact Rita Elliott.

Read Right from the Start 

A program of the Rollins Center for Language and Literacy at the Atlanta Speech School, Read Right from the Start offers free online professional development for Georgia’s preschool and pre-K educators through the Cox Campus. The program is certified by the Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) to qualify for Bright from the Start credit hours. Click here for more information.  

Bridging the Gap for Math

June 3, 6-7, 2016

Chattahoochee-Flint RESA is providing one-day trainings for K-8 math teachers! Find out more information for grades K-2 here, grades 3-5 here, and grades 6-8 here.  For more professional development offerings at Chattahoochee-Flint RESA, click here.

CCGPS Professional Development

As part of Georgia Virtual Learning, the Georgia Department of Education offers online CCGPS training modules for both ELA and math teachers; to find the course right for you, visit their site here.

Cost Associated Professional Development Opportunities

Woodruff Arts Center Educator Conference

June 7-9, 2016

This year Woodruff Arts Center’s Educator Conference will investigate and celebrate the relationship between tradition and transformation in the arts and education. Read more information about this exciting opportunity here. 

2016 STEM Boot Camp

June 21-23, 2016

Designed to help teachers and schools build an understanding of STEM K-12, this boot camp is presented by the Cobb County school district but is open to all districts. 

Click here to learn more about the dates, sessions, and to register. 

PBS TeacherLine

PBS TeacherLine is the place to find a list of both facilitated and self-paced professional development courses. You can decide how, when, and where you complete your learning! Summer classes begin June 13 and July 15, 2016. 

GYSTC 2016 Summer STEM Institute 

June 6-7, 2016

This institute, sponsored by Chattahoochee-Flint RESA, provides teachers of grades 3-5 the opportunity to learn how to integrate STEM content into the classroom. Find more information about the sessions offered in this exciting two-day professional development opportunity here.   

DI in Math for K-12 Teachers 

June 22, 2016

Griffin RESA is inviting teachers to experience new ways to differentiate their math classrooms. To learn more about this class, go to their site here or to see more of Griffin RESA’s summer offerings, check out their professional development calendar.

Teaching Adolescent Writers (Online) 

Heart of Georgia RESA is offering an online book study. For additional details, click here or to see all of Heart of Georgia RESA’s summer offerings, visit their site here.

Making a Difference with Co-Teaching (online) 

The goal of this online course from Middle Georgia RESA is to provide concrete strategies for teachers in the co-teaching environment to increase their impact on student achievement. More information about this useful professional development course can be found here or to see more of Middle Georgia RESA’s summer calendar, check here.

TKES 3: Google Classroom

June 7, 2016

Join West Georgia RESA and Nikki D. Robertson as she explores how Google Classroom can help promote challenging and engaging teaching. Click here to find out additional details about this promising class. To look at other West Georgia RESA summer courses, check out their calendar here.

No matter what your professional development goals are for this summer, there is an opportunity to learn close to you! Please share other interesting summer professional development opportunities for teachers.