Every CELT conference I’ve attended, I showed up to only about half the sessions for which I registered because of last-minute grading, prepping, writing, etc. I still count that as a win because I always got to discuss potential interdisciplinary collaborations with people outside my department, learned what colleagues across campus were doing to enhance teaching effectiveness, and always managed to snag one new idea to implement in my classes. I encourage you to register for everything that sounds interesting to you and then attend what you can. If all 1,000 Chico State faculty are able to snag just one new teaching idea this week, we will be a stronger campus next week and our students will reap the benefits.
On Thursday and Friday, you have the opportunity to hear from your colleagues and experts in the field about service learning (Thurs at 9:30), leadership (keynote – Thurs at 11:30), civic engagement (Thurs at 2:30), the role of students’ backgrounds (Fri at 9), course redesign (Fri at 2), community building (Fri at 3) and so much more.
Professional development is an investment in you, your students, and your colleagues. CELT registration is free and travel costs are zero. I hope to see you at some of the sessions including lunch on Thursday with Dr. Lynn Gangone, one of the nation’s top leaders in teacher education.
