Conferences for Instructional Well-being
This past week I virtually attend NCTE’s Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC). With its robust on-demand and live options, “the Cs” delivered. As a comp and writing teacher, attending this conference feeds my head and informs my instruction in so many ways. The yoga teacher and mindfulness practitioner got some nibbles too, attending sessions on peaceful classroom practices through mindfulness and a discussion on embodiment as a learning theory. There’s still much work to do here and I’m excited by the continued conversation.
Why Attend Conferences?
Attending conferences is not just a wonderful opportunity to learn, it is also an opportunity to fully immerse into the current conversation within our field and within a specific discipline. Knowing this can be important; we should want to stay up to date with best practices, research, emergent voices, and relevant issues. Learning at a conference is an opportunity to pause and refresh. I attended two days online. I could still connect with others through message boards, live sessions, or outreach to presenters. It is worth it to attend conferences in any format. More teachers should embrace these professional development opportunities with curiosity.
Teachers as Learners
We’ve all been stuck in professional development that doesn’t quite fit our needs. Seeking out and attending conferences relevant to our work is important to the instructional well-being of teachers. Conferencing encourages
- inquiry and exploration,
- actionable, formative instruction,
- support for how to provide better feedback,
- connections and networking,
- and if we’re lucky, little nibbles to pique curiosity.
I encourage teachers to seek out these opportunities and if they are inaccessible, look for networks of other teachers and communities where you can do all these things. I am thankful for the support and pause enabling me to attend “the Cs.” After 2 days, I’m refreshed and ready with new ideas to share.
