Professional Development

Summer PD, July-August, 2010

Go here to register online for the district’s summer workshops. Or…visit the Summer PD page to view a large variety of other options from many different sources.

Plus…Click on the links below to see current opportunities for your professional group.

  1. General
  2. Administrators
  3. Elementary
  4. Arts
  5. English Language Arts & Reading
  6. Mathematics
  7. Reading
  8. Science
  9. World Languages
  10. Specialists
  11. Special Education
  12. Nurses and Psychologists

General

Training of Trainers Program: Kid & Teen:SAFE—An Abuse Prevention Program for Youth with Disabilities

June 17 and 18, 9:00 am-4:00 pm, presented by SafePlace, at Berkshire County Kid’s Place & Violence Prevention Center, Inc., 63 Wendell Avenue, Pittsfield. Space is limited. There is no cost to participants; however, you must attend both sessions. Download the flyer to register. Or call 499-2800 or email Patti Messina, pmessina@kidsplaceonline for more information.

DESE Summer Institutes

This summer more than 30 graduate-level professional development institutes are being offered in a variety of areas including: the Arts, Health, Literacy, Special Education, Mathematics, and Science and Technology/Engineering.  There are over 15 PD institutes being offered in STEM alone!

The institutes, sponsored by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, will be offered throughout the summer with follow-up sessions in the fall and winter. All educators are eligible to participate.  PDPs will be awarded, and graduate credits are also available.

For a listing of all the 2010 Professional Development Institutes, descriptions of each institute, and registration information, please see: http://www.doe.mass.edu/candi/institutes/10/.

A variety of non-credit summer classes from Elms College

Topics include “Principles and Practices of the Instructional Read Aloud”; “The Evolution of the American Institution: A Brief History of the Treatment of the Mentally Ill and Mentally Retarded”; “Pre-Calculus for Middle and High School Teachers”; “Introduction to the Understanding and Diagnosis of Mental Health and Mental Illness”; “Stress Management.” Download the flyer here. For more information call 413.265-2490.

Massachusetts New Literacies Institute, June 21-25, Cambridge, MA

For teachers in grades 4-12 from all academic areas, as well as educational administrators. Participants must register as a team of 3-5 members from a district or school. Members must have a technology proficiency level of “Developing Tech” on the Technology Self-Assessment Test (TSAT). Details on applying as a Teacher Leader are in the attached letter. Applications to attend as a member of a team from Pittsfield are in the flyer.

Cuba Education Tours for Teachers

“Introduction to Cuba” tours for teachers June 26-July 3 or July 31-August 7. Other tours available over Christmas break. Download letter for details.

Summer e-Courses available from Endicott College

Endicott College has partnered with Virtual Education Software, Inc., to offer graduate level continuing education courses for K-12 educators on CD-Rom or online. A variety of 2- and 3-credit courses are available. For more information, please visit the website. To register, call 1-800-313-6744 between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm, PST, Monday-Friday.

Current Trends in Service-Learning: Innovative, Engaged and Green, June 28-July 2, 2010

A new graduate course, to take place at Drury High School, 1130 South Church Street, North Adams, MA, running from 7:30 am-3:30 pm each day. The cost is $165; students completing the course will receive three graduate credits from MCLA (inservice credit—may not be applied towards a Master’s degree at MCLA) or 45 Content/Pedagogy PDPs. To register, or for more information, download the flyer and contact Anne French, 662-3240, x1204 or annetfrench@yahoo.com.

Restraint Training: Refresher and Initial Trainings Available, May and June 2010

A series of trainings for staff—both those who need refreshers and those who have never trained. Please RSVP AnnMarie Carpenter as soon as possible if you will be attending. Staff must check with their supervisors and complete a Professional day Form. Refresher class is on Friday, May 28, 8:00 am-3:00 pm (location to be announced, with Ann Marie Carpenter and Christine Macros. Initial Training: Monday and Tuesday, June 21 and 22, 8:00 am-3:00 pm, Reid Library. (NOTE: This is after school ends. Staff will be paid to attend unless you are an administrator using the day to fulfill a work commitment.)

The Collaborative Problem Solving Approach: A Training with Dr Ross Greene, Monday, 8:15 am-12:30 pm, May 24, 2010

At UMass Hoagland-Pincus Conference Center, Shrewsbury. A FREE introductory workshop, suitable for K-12 educators, particularly those who work with students with social, emotional and behavioral health needs. Download flyer for details, and register online, using this link.

Leadership Academy of the Berkshires

A 1-year program for administration certification by June 2011. Begins in June, July or August 2010; includes 7 courses. Master’s degree can be added on with 2 additional courses. Download the information sheet, or email Kristen Gordon, gordonk@acrsd.net

New Scholarship Program for Autism at Elms College, Chicopee, through the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation

The program will fund scholarships to graduate students enrolled in the college’s Master’s of Science and Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study in Autism Spectrum Disorders programs. Read more here.

Holyoke Community College K-12 Professional Development Courses

Offered through Virtual Education Software, Inc., Holyoke Community College is providing a range of interactive instruction on strategies for teaching students with behavioral and learning needs. These computer-based, accredited programs are available online. For details, please visit the website. To register, call the college at 1-413-594-1255 or email: alingham@hcc.mass.edu.

Professional Development in Ireland via Cardinal Stritch University: June 22-28 and June 28-July 5, 2010

Literary Ireland: A study in Tolerance & Diversity, June 22-28; and Curriculum Design: NEA’s Key Indicator 2, June 28-July 5. For information, email Kerry McNamee Ninneman : kkninneman@stritch.edu or call 303.393-8688. Download flyer here.

2010 Travel/Study Program for Teachers and Administrators: July 1-24, 2010

National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland. Seminar: Education in Ireland, a comparative study of the Irish and American Educational Systems 6 Graduate Credits. For information email lilysky@ncia.net Or call Barney Keenan, NUI Coordinator, 603.477-2972.

Administrators:

  • For principals and other administrators: A Kim Marshall Seminar, “Rethinking Teacher Supervision and Evaluation,” will be offered on April 30, 8:30 am-3:00 pm, at Westfield State College. $60.00 registration fee covers morning coffee, lunch and all materials. Download information here or call Priscilla Miller at 413.572-8065; email pmiller@wsc.ma.edu

Elementary

  • 3 August Literacy Workshops: Dibels Next Transition Workshop, August 2; Leading Literacy Change for Coaches, August 3-5; and Leadership for Literacy: RtI as a Service Delivery Model, August 10-11. All are in Boston. All are through the Hanson Initiative for Langage and Literacy. Download flyer here..
  • See Museum Institute for Teaching Science Summer Institute information below, under Science.
  • See Emerging America: Teaching American History information below, under Social Studies & History.

Arts

Nothing right now.

English Language Arts & Reading

Nothing right now.

Mathematics

  • Mathematics Leadership Program Summer Institutes at Mount Holyoke College: Developing Mathematical Ideas (DMI) July 11-16, 18-23); Professional Development for Math Coaching (PDMC) July 18-23, 25-28; and Secondary Lenses on Learning for Systems (LOLS) July 18-23, 25-30. Download flyer or visit the website.
  • Harvard Graduate School of Education is recruiting middle and high school Algebra I teachers to participate in a research project on recently developed curriculum supplements. Participants attend a free one-week professional development institute at Harvard University during the summer and then implement the curriculum supplements (in addition to teachers’ regular algebra curriculum) throughout the Algebra I course. An honorarium for both the summer institute and the implementation of the curriculum supplements throughout the year is included. For more information, see: www.gse.harvard.edu/ppe/enews/k12/10k121/algebra.html Or contact Dr. Jon Star at 617.496-2511 or compare@gse.harvard.edu.
  • Mathematics Leadership Program Summer Institutes 2010, at Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley, MA. Includes sessions on Developing Mathematical Ideas, Professional Development for Math Coaching and Secondary Lenses on Learning for Systems. Download flyer or visit the Mathematics Leadership Program web site. Or contact Kay Caruso, 617.969-7100, kcaruso@edc.org; or contact Mount Holyoke at 413.538-2063, jpaquett@mtholyoke.edu

Reading

  • See literacy workshops above under “Elementary.”

Science

  • Berkshire Museum coordinates the Museum Institute for Teaching Science (MITS) Summer Institute, July 6-16, 2010. For pre-K to 8th-grade educators, focusing this summer on linking systems, cycles and processes throughout the sciences. Participating educators will visit several sites including Hancock Shaker Village, Natural Bridge State Park, Hopkins Memorial Forest, and a variety of area waterways, while gaining new ideas from workshop presenters and other educators. Participants earn 60 or 90 PDPs, with graduate credits also available. For more information, download the flyer, call 617.328-1515 or visit www.mits.org

Social Studies & History

  • SUMMER PD: Emerging America, for elementary and high school history teachers. Please download the form and return the registration page: http://emergingamerica.org/ Features strategies for teaching reading of historical fiction, nonfiction and primary sources. Contact rcairn@collaborative.org or 413.586-4900, x166 for more information.

World Languages

Nothing right now.

Specialists

Nothing right now.

Special Education

  • See Elms College scholarship program in Autism studies above.

Nurses and Psychologists

  • New Developments in Understanding and Treating Nonsuicidal Self-Injury, Monday, June 14, 9:15 am-4:45 pm, Berkshire Hills Country Club. Offered through the CHNA 1 Berkshire Youth Suicide Prevention Project and Berkshire AHEC. This course is being offered free for up to 100 registrants. Interested individuals MUST register electronically at www.berkshireahec.org. No registration at the door. Download detailed flyer here.