My system is quite generous when it comes to local professional learning opportunities. If there's a conference nearby they'll likely support your attendance with a substitute teacher and admission fees. Also if there's a good conference far away they'll sometimes pay for transportation and a hotel and they will usually give you the day(s) and get a substitute teacher.
This open attitude to professional learning helps to make our teaching/learning community current with regard to new practice and knowledge related to good teaching. Often educators who attend the conferences will share what they learn. A few will use Twitter, some will blog, others will give a short presentation at a faculty meeting, and typically grade-level colleagues will share with the team when they come back.
This year I used up my share of the professional learning dollars at MassCUE, Educon 2.7, The 2015 Teaching and Learning Conference, and Mahesh Sharma's one-day fraction workshop--all terrific learning events. This week NCTM 2015 is in Boston. Many of my colleagues will be there and lots of my professional learning community (PLN) will be there too. I won't be there, but I started gathering some of the information via Twitter hashtags, #NCTM2015, #NCTM15, #NCTMBoston, last night.
I'll check in again today and throughout the weekend when I have a chance. Twitter will point me to central areas of conversation and research as well as the names of educators in the know when it comes to teaching math well. So if you're at the conference, I hope you'll tweet out the essential points and lead me to the best math blogs, books, and other resources. Also, if I'm missing a related hashtag, let me know. Finally, enjoy the conference.
